<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Tale Of A Slightly Unstable Teen Hero by ghostiewriter101</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27476416">Tale Of A Slightly Unstable Teen Hero</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostiewriter101/pseuds/ghostiewriter101'>ghostiewriter101</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Outer Banks (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, I'm Sorry, Jiara - Freeform, Kiara Carrera - Freeform, Spiderman AU, also JJ actually has a mum in this, also adhd!JJ, also watch JJ become a simp, and he is a mama's boy, and kiara has heart eyes for him, it will all make sense, jj maybank - Freeform, please don't worry about the rafe/kiara tag, this is a jiara centric fic, will probably make your heart explode and shatter at the same time, yes this is basically a spideychelle au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:56:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27476416</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostiewriter101/pseuds/ghostiewriter101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>JJ didn’t expect his life to turn out this way. It’s funny how one small bite has managed to flip his life upside down. But just like everything else in his life—the good ol’ Maybank luck didn’t stop there. Oh no! Life decided that crazy new powers wasn’t enough. Throw in high school, a crazed maniac that wants him dead, annoying nosey journalists and one drop-dead gorgeous girl that hates his guts but he can’t get out of his mind. Sounds like the perfect equation for a really interesting junior year, right? Right.</p><p> </p><p>AKA the spider-man au that just works a little to well with the characters of Outer Banks</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>JJ &amp; Kiara &amp; Pope &amp; John B. Routledge, JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks), Rafe Cameron/Kiara, Sarah Cameron &amp; Kiara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Turns out bugs can do something useful in their lives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I don’t usually post my writing on here but I was really inspired by an anon on @alphinias blog (on tumblr) and...here we are :) I won’t lie, I have no idea how often I’ll be updating because I’m in my last year of high school so things are HECTIC AF! But I’ll try my best to stay consistent! And yeah, enjoy jiara cause I’m highkey a hoe for them :) and feel free to leave any feedback!! Also I’m not American so a lot of things I’m gonna be winging so!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>JJ prided himself in always loving an adventure. A random trip at 3am when one of his buds felt down? Hell yeah! An exploration through the streets of New York when he decided to ditch his Spanish final? Let’s go, dude! A spontaneous road trip with his boys during summer? JJ was down! But<em> this</em>? This just felt like some sick joke.</p><p>Admittedly, JJ wasn’t listening in class when the trip was announced. And as Pope liked to remind him every couple of minutes, this whole situation could have been avoided if he had listened in class. But can you blame the guy? A whole day off school to visit some big corporation uptown where he was getting a free lunch—JJ would be stupid to reject that. Yet, JJ should’ve known there would’ve been some catch, some flaw in this trip. And that flaw was that he had to spend the day walking around Cameron Industries, the biggest nerd fest on the East coast.</p><p>JJ was bored out of his mind.</p><p>Pope was ecstatic beyond belief.</p><p>John B was ready to punch JJ in the face if opened his mouth to complain one more time.</p><p>“Why call it a trip when all we do is listen to these dudes in lab coats droning on about some weird gene thing? Like c’mon! A trip is meant for relaxing. Where the fuck am I gonna relax around here, huh? The fucking gift shop—“</p><p>“Shut up,” John B hissed at the blonde, smacking JJ’s arm for good measure, to which the blond dramatically whined at. “Just please…shut up. You’ve got one more hour until lunch, alright? Don’t ruin this for him.”</p><p>JJ huffed as he glanced over at Pope, who was eagerly questioning every scientist they came across. As much as it pained him to agree with John B, he did have a point. There weren’t enough fingers in the world to count the amount of times JJ had dragged Pope into some anxiety-provoking, impulsive situation. The least he could do is suck it up a little and mope silently as they walk through countless fancy labs that probably each cost more than his apartment complex altogether.</p><p>“I don’t know why you’re acting so chuff,” JJ huffed, his fingers twisting the rings that adorned his hands—a force of habit when he was uncomfortable and bored. “You usually back me up on this kinda stuff—“ But JJ didn’t need to finish his question. Oh no, because the answer was right there.</p><p>JJ smirked as he turned to John B, one eyebrow raised in question. However, his friend seemed much more content staring at Sarah Cameron from where she stood near the front of the group, smiling towards the tour guide like they were close friends. Which they probably were considering they were standing in the building her father owned.</p><p>Ward Cameron. Renowned scientist, billionaire and founder of Cameron Industries. A true inspiration. What started as a hopeless experiment in his high school chemistry lab ended up forging Ward Cameron’s path to success in the biggest multibillion-dollar multinational corporation that held the future for chemical engineering. JJ just thought he was some lucky rich kid that had daddy’s money to support his dream.</p><p>And it was for that reason that JJ rolled his eyes, nudging his friend out of his daze. “You do know you don’t stand a chance, right?” JJ commented.</p><p>Harsh but true. JJ and the rest of the kids that attended this trip went to Midtown High School. True to its name, it was smack bang in the middle of two very different livelihoods. Uptown Brooklyn: home to the kids who live of old money, designer clothes and trust funds. And Downtown Brooklyn: home to working-middle class who would spend the rest of their lives making a sliver of the uptown folks’ wages.</p><p>Take a wild guess which area JJ is from.</p><p>However, some old dude in the 60s decided to try and bridge the gap between the classes and thus, the school was born. All it did was let each know how much they resented the other. Yet, John B had fallen into the alluded mind-set of that old geezer and set his eyes on Sarah Cameron, the most uptown chick you’ll get. And of course, JJ was there to remind him of that very fact and push him off that imaginary bridge. It was a fool’s hope to combine the uptown and downtown folk; it was a fool’s hope to try and make them get along. It won’t happen now nor ever.</p><p>John B flipped him off. JJ only grinned in response.</p><p>Nonetheless, that ended up being the most exciting part of the hour. JJ shuffled along at the back of the group, his eyes constantly wandering around the labs. Did he have any clue what any of it was? Hell no, but he was naturally curious and couldn’t help his hands from wandering. Sue him, he was a teenage boy with ADHD and a knack for getting into trouble—he was bound to do something stupid.</p><p>His interest in science perked up a bit when he noticed a small enclosure of what looked like completely normal spiders, yet as their tour guide spoke, they were anything but normal.</p><p>“Our team have been working on taking the genetic code of three separate species of arachnids and combining them to form a super-spider. One which can survive and reproduce and live as any other would. It is the first step in the future of genetic engineering and modification. With this technology, we could find cures to diseases that were deemed impossible to cure. We could form a stronger, better human race—“</p><p>“Isn’t that unethical?” A voice interrupted. Everyone’s head snapped towards the curly-haired girl that stood by Sarah Cameron’s side. JJ knew very little about her—considering this was honestly the first time he had seen her—and he wasn’t complaining…nor was he actually listening to what she was saying. “I mean, won’t this just introduce a future of designer babies and a superiority of the genetically modified over the natural?”</p><p>“I understand your concerns,” The tour guide—a young redhead who honestly didn’t look a day over twenty-two but then again, JJ guessed everyone around here was some sort of genius. “But I can assure you there are a number of protocols behind this research that would prevent such a thing from happening.”</p><p>“Can you really stop the rich from getting what they want?” Ironic considering she was a rich, uptown chick.</p><p>An awkward silence washed over the group before the teacher quickly cleared their throat and directed the tour guide to continue.</p><p>JJ—being the foolishly bored teenager he was—made his way over to the unknown girl, standing next to her as they looked at the spiders in the enclosure.</p><p>“Poor things.” She sighed sadly. JJ only raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it.</p><p>“You know,” He began, his voice smooth and suave—the usual JJ charm he used on girls. “I totally agree with you on all those…ethic…things…” He trailed off, risking a glance towards the girl who only narrowed her eyes at him.</p><p>“Really?” She questioned, nodding her head for him to continue.</p><p>“Yeah, I mean, save the animals, am I right?” He grinned, nervously scratching the nape of his neck. The girl seemed unamused.</p><p>“Uh huh, sure thing, buddy.” She stated before turning to catch up with the group. But JJ’s voice stopped her once again.</p><p>“How about I take you out some time? And then you can tell me all about all this ethic stuff.” He proposed, his usual charming smirk on his lips. He was a lady’s man, he knew he was gorgeous and JJ would be a fool if he didn’t use it to his advantage. One small date to charm her before JJ wiggled his way into her bed, then boom—they never have to speak to each other again. Plus, this girl may be one of Sarah Cameron’s wee minions, but JJ didn’t let class get in the way of his ‘love’ life. He just resents the lot of those uptown kids in every other aspect of his life. No harm in fraternizing with the enemy, right? What other people didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. It’s just a little bit of fun.</p><p>“Do you even know my name?” She asked him, her arms crossed over her chest. It took a lot of self-control for JJ not to follow the movement. He cleared his throat, leaning one hand against the enclosure.</p><p>“Uh…Samantha?”</p><p>“Nice try, asshole.” And with that, she turned around to join the group.</p><p>JJ stood there, a little dumbfounded by the encounter. He was taken aback not only by the fact she had just rejected him, but with the sass in which she did so. He would be lying if he didn’t say it was a little hot, but he expected it. Uptown kids always thought there were better, superior to the downtown kids.</p><p>But JJ didn’t wallow in his rejection for long when he felt a sharp, stinging pain on his hand. He glanced down, seeing a spider on the back of his hand and his instant reaction was to shake it off. “Little shit!” He hissed, looking down at the small bite mark on his skin.</p><p>“Hey, dude, you comin’?” He heard John B call out. He glanced around, unable to spot the spider. He shrugged, JJ has had worse than a small spider bite. He’ll survive.</p><p>Yeah, I’m starving, let’s go!”</p><p>Little did JJ know that was his last day as a normal, hyperactive teen.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m telling you something is fucking wrong with me!”</p><p>Both boys looked at their blond friend with sceptic looks. It was Saturday morning and far too early to deal with JJ nonsense. Especially when they could barely understand what he was going on about. It was around 6am when John B and Pope received a very distressed call from JJ. Neither one was very sure for what reason, all they heard was ‘freaky’ and ‘fuck’ multiple times during the call. But he sounded like he was really going through something so they eventually went over—arriving at JJ’s place at 7:30am. JJ was too on edge to even try and call them out on it.</p><p>“Dude, breathe,” Pope muttered, watching JJ run holes in his carpet from how much he was pacing. “Calm down a little—“</p><p>“I can’t calm down, Pope!” JJ snapped, looking at his friends who seemed far too calm. “Like I don’t know if I am freaked out or pumped but just—“ He paused, seeing the look of confusion on his friends’ faces. He huffed and pulled his shirt off, looking at them expectedly. They didn’t react.</p><p>“JJ, did you really call us down here on SATURDAY MORNING because you have another birthmark that looks like George Clooney because I will literally murder you—“</p><p>“No, no!” JJ hissed before pointing down to his abs, and then his arms. Then he began flexing, yet he was met with blank expressions again.</p><p>“Dude, as much as I love staring at your abs, what the fuck are we meant to be looking at?” Pope asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.</p><p>“They are different!”</p><p>“They are?”</p><p>“They are!”</p><p>“Uh…how?”</p><p>JJ scoffed, as if it were obvious. “They are more defined!”</p><p>“…more defined?”</p><p>“Clearly!”</p><p>John B let out an unattractive snort, pushing his hair back as he leaned back against the wall, all his worry for his friend now gone. He was honestly concerned it was something important. “What’s next? Is your hair too perfect, J? Need a bag to cover how gorgeous you are?” Pope snickered along with him.</p><p>“I mean, I am having a good hair day…” JJ trailed off before shaking his head and turning to the two of them again. “But that isn’t all, okay? It gets freakier!”</p><p>Both boys looked at JJ with amusement from their spots on his bed. JJ rolled his eyes before he stretched his hand out, his palm facing the ceiling with his two middle fingers pressed into his palm. Not even seconds later, a <em>THWAP</em> echoed through the now-silent bedroom.</p><p>Both teenagers looked down at the string of substance that just existed their friend’s wrist, completely shell-shocked. It was John B who spoke first, looking away from the white substance on JJ’s bed.</p><p>“Is that like…the same as…did you just—“ John B points down to his groin area, only for JJ to grimace.</p><p>“Dude, no! EW! I didn’t just jizz from my wrist!”</p><p>“It looks like you just did.”</p><p>Pope quickly kneeled down next to the bed, hesitantly reaching to touch the stuff, ignoring John B’s comments on how disgusting it was. “It feels like…silk,” He murmured in confusion before pulling his hand away, noticing how it stuck to his skin. “And it’s sticky.”</p><p>John B gagged in the back, but JJ ignored him. “It’s like glue, a really strong glue! And then after like twenty minutes, it disappears!” He told Pope as he reached for the scissors to help his sticky situation.</p><p>“How did you do that though?” Pope’s mind was reeling with the possibilities, the science behind the completely inhumane thing JJ had just done and he had witnessed with his very own eyes.</p><p>“I don’t fucking know!”</p><p>“Does it have anything to do with that weird-ass bump on your hand?” John B perked up, nodding towards JJ. All three boys’ gazes shifted to his left hand, where in fact there was a small red bump, no bigger than a grape at most.</p><p>“Nah, dude, that’s just from the spider bite yesterday.” JJ answered with a shrug. Pope chocked on the air, looking at JJ like he had three heads.</p><p>“I—you mean the fucking GENETICALLY MODIFIED SPIDERS FROM THE LAB?!” JJ winced, trying to shush Pope but there was no avail, this boy was going off on a rant. “Are you stupid? Why didn’t you tell anyone yesterday? JJ, those could’ve been poisonous or had long term effects or—“</p><p>“Made you some weird mutant with cool powers.” John B added. He quickly shut up when he received the ‘look’ from Pope.</p><p>“We have to tell someone at Cameron Industries.” Pope concluded. JJ was quick to pipe up, taking a few steps away from Pope on instinct.</p><p>“What, no way! They are gonna stick me under some fancy microscope or inject me with needles full of…stuff! I’m not going back into that geek galore!” JJ stated. Pope looked like he was ready to open his mouth, and start spouting out arguments as to why JJ should head over to the professional scientists over his weird, overnight mutation. But it was actually John B who came to a more mutual conclusion.</p><p>“Or we just do our own tests,” John B shrugged, both boys turning to look at him with fairly discombobulated expressions. “C’mon, Pope is basically a scientist and he is smart enough to figure out whatever the hell is going on with you!”</p><p>“I don’t have half the equipment they would have—“ Pope tried to argue.</p><p>“Look, we aren’t going to find out anything through a microscope. The best way is just go out there and test what he can do. How hard can it be?” John B grinned.</p><p>Pope wanted to argue that it was very hard. Though he had read countless papers on the genetically modified spiders, even he didn’t know enough to do a full conclusive examination on JJ and his new state. He didn’t have half the things he needed, but when he looked over at JJ and saw a much more relaxed—and hopeful—expression on his face from when he had suggested returning to the lab, Pope sighed and shook his head a little.</p><p>“Just so you both know, I am going to say, ‘I told you so’ when this goes downhill.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>That is how JJ, Pope and John B found themselves standing on the roof of JJ’s apartment complex, the busy streets of New York oblivious to the scientific discovery that is happening above them. JJ couldn’t tear his eyes off the skyline, finding something about it much more relaxing that the potential of just what his new body could do. He was scared—no, scratch that—he was nervous, anxious if you will. JJ couldn’t lie that a part of him was excited. It felt surreal, like something out of one of those comics he used to nick from the uptown kids. Then again, JJ wasn’t very fond of the idea of being some new scientific discovery. It made him feel like he would end up like one of those poor frogs they had to dissect in biology—poor fuckers.</p><p>“Okay, so the spiders were made from three separate species to optimize their physical properties—being able to adapt to new environments, heightened senses to avoid predators, enhanced strength and speed, stronger material to create webs for larger prey—all that jazz. No research has been done on the psychological properties though.” Pope rambled, his hands moving wildly whilst both boys stared at him with clueless expressions.</p><p>“Which means?”</p><p>“JJ could have some really cool powers but could also be going totally insane,” Pope said with a sheepish shrug. “Like I’m talking full Tasmanian devil mode here—“</p><p>“Very reassuring, dude.” JJ stated bluntly. He took it all back, he wasn’t excited. He was terrified now. He glanced down at the small bite on his hand, which was slowly deflating as time passed. JJ wasn’t sure if he was relieved or worried that the second the bite disappeared, it could mean something really bad—like him turning into some massive humanoid arachnid that attacks the city. He shivered at the thought. “Right, let’s just get on with this.”</p><p>John B clapped a hand on his back, a small smile on his lips. “You’ll be fine, dude, alright? You’re in good hands.” He tried to reassure JJ. And JJ knew that everything Pope was saying was just to help him understand what was going on too, but he couldn’t help but think there was a small part of Pope that enjoyed using JJ as a lab rat. He was a scientist, could you really blame him?</p><p>“Yeah, I know.” He said with a curt nod.</p><p>“Let’s try the web again, see how far you can shoot it.” Pope piped up, moving to stand on the other side of JJ. “The average spider can shoot a web to about four feet, but these spiders have the DNA of the Darwin Bark Spiders which can shoot webs up to eighty-two feet. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you could reach the same, maybe more.” He then gestured for JJ to try it out, pointing towards the building opposite then, which was only around eight feet away, at most.</p><p>JJ took a deep breath before extending his hand out, the <em>THWAP</em> sounding clear despite the ongoing traffic down below. Yet, the web barely shot out a couple of inches before landing on the edge of the roof with a disappointing splat.</p><p>“Well then…” John B trailed off, all three boys staring at the failed web shot.</p><p>“You clearly weren’t trying, just concentrate!” Pope said with a clap of his hands. He only received a blank stare from JJ.</p><p>“I was trying, dumbass! It’s harder than it looks. It…feels weird, man. Like a sneeze…from my wrist!” He huffed, but Pope only nudged his shoulder to try again.</p><p>JJ sighed and turned to face the opposite building again. He raised his arm, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he tried to imagine the web shooting out and reaching the opposing roof. He tried to imagine more web fluid being shot out his wrist, he tried to imagine like he actually knew what he was doing. Not even a second later, the <em>THWAP</em> sound was heard and suddenly there was a white rope of silk extending from JJ’s hand onto the next roof over.</p><p>“Holy shit!”</p><p>JJ grabbed the web, giving the web a light tug. He was expecting for the web to break, for his hand to be covered in web fluid. But instead the web remained, strong and sturdy as though it was bolted onto the roof.</p><p>“This is crazy, dude.”</p><p>He snapped his hand back, watching the web breakaway from his palm and flop, hanging from the brick wall like a pathetic piece of string. “That was cool as fuck,” He murmured as he glanced down at his wrists in shock. He gently ran his thumb over his wrist, a delightful shiver running down his back. It caused him to smile a little, thinking about just how far he could shoot these webs.</p><p>“Dude, you could swing around like Tarzan now.” John B snickered. JJ gave him a deadpan look but he couldn’t help himself from glancing down at his wrists again.</p><p>“You think?”</p><p>“Only one way to find out.” John B grinned.</p><p>Pope’s eyes widened slightly as he quickly began to shake his head. “You don’t know if the web is strong enough to hold his weight, he could hurt himself or—“</p><p>“You calling me fat?” JJ gasped with a pout, a hand placed over his heart. “You offend me, Pope. Thought you were better than this.”</p><p>“If calling you fat will stop you from swinging off a building like an idiot then yes, I am calling you fat.” He hissed.</p><p>JJ grinned, his eyes quickly searching around before he noticed a large satellite pole sticking out from one of the nearby buildings. It was a bit further away, but JJ let the pride of his last success get to his head. “I can do it, bud, don’t worry about it.”</p><p>“That’s my boy!”</p><p>“Don’t encourage him!”</p><p>“He can do it!”</p><p>“How the fuck do you know that!?”</p><p>“Sixth sense, my dude.”</p><p>JJ blocked out the bickering, taking a couple of steps back from the edge of the roof. A running start never hurt anyone, right? He rolled his shoulders, stretching his neck from left to right. Never once did he let his gaze shift away from the satellite pole. He crouched down a little, already feeling the adrenaline build up in him. “Diver down, boys.” He grinned before he began sprinting to the edge of the building. As he reached the edge, he pushed himself off and extended his arm out, imagining the web wrapping around the pole and seconds later it did. He held the web tightly in his grip as he felt himself swinging towards the building. Whoops and cheers could be heard, though JJ wasn’t sure if they were coming from him or the boys back on the roof.</p><p>“JJ, THE WALL! LOOK OUT!”</p><p>But JJ was a little too pumped up to even comprehend what Pope was screaming until he noticed the brick wall getting closer. ‘<em>Shit, shit, shit.’</em> The words echoed in his head and he tried to think of a way to slow himself down. But it was useless as he found himself colliding with the wall, his eyes clenched shut on impact.</p><p>“Oh, fuck.” He groaned, his limbs sprawled out like a starfish. A part of him thought he was dead, that maybe he hit the wall way too hard, he had a lot of momentum after all. But the muffled screams coming from his friends was enough to tell him that he was very much alive. “I’m alive!” He yelled out, slowly beginning to blink his eyes open, finding himself face to face with a brick wall. “What the…” He trailed off when he glanced at his hands, finding them attached to the brick wall.</p><p>His heart was pounding when he looked down, seeing that he was attached to the wall, very far up from the ground, with nothing suspending him. His mind was reeling, almost as though he was waiting for himself to fall and his body to meet the ground. But it never happened.</p><p>“You’re like an actual fucking spider, dude!” He heard John B yell, as though he was right beside him, which caused him to wince a little. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing them still very far away on that roof.</p><p>JJ shook his head and glanced up, seeing the edge of the roof a couple of feet from where he was stuck on the wall. He took a deep breath before slowly removing one hand, and when he was sure he wasn’t going to fall, he moved it up higher. Slowly, JJ found himself scaling the side of the building, his heart beating wildly even as he pulled himself over the edge, both feet finding the solid ground of the roof. He turned back to look at his friends, both of whom looked shocked beyond belief.</p><p>“What the hell…” He could hear Pope whisper, which only caused JJ’s eyebrows to furrow in confusion.</p><p>“This is a lot more complicated than I thought.” He muttered to himself, only now realising that the bite mark on his hand was long gone.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>JJ winced a little as he heard the bell ring, indicating the end of this period and the start of lunch—his favourite subject. Yet, JJ wasn’t exactly jumping out of his seat as usual. It was now Monday and everyone was back at school. JJ, Pope and John B had spent the better use of the whole weekend to run around, using JJ like some lab rat and seeing just what he could and couldn’t do. And JJ was fucking exhausted. The amount of times he had face-planted into a wall was beyond funny and he had learnt the hard way that the more on edge he was, the more sensitive he was…well, to everything. The sound of the chairs screeching against the floor made him cringe, the bright LED lights made him want to cry and the feeling of his sweater against his skin was scratchy and uncomfortable. JJ sure as hell wasn’t hyped for his newly found powers if this is what the rest of his life is going to be like.</p><p>The blond sighed to himself as he shoved his stuff into his backpack, swinging it over his shoulder and heading towards the cafeteria once he left the class. He kept his head down, finding the small shuffles of his vans against the floor were helping him from cussing out every single student that bumped into him, making him honestly want to scream and stay six feet away from everyone. He tried to reassure himself that he was half way through the day, that he only had a couple of hours left and then he could preferably go hide in a hole somewhere for the rest of his life. Okay, that is a little dramatic but a dark hole sounded great to JJ right now.</p><p>But here’s the thing, JJ is a Maybank. He has the good ol’ Maybank luck, which means even when he feels shit, the universe is out to make his life worse. And the universe sent that in the form of Rafe Cameron and his loyal little minions, Topper Thornton and Kelce Smith. Midtown High’s own version of the Plastics, some may say.</p><p>By some, I mean JJ. But hey, don’t judge. He was forced into watch Mean Girls by one of his flings awhile back and he won’t lie, the movie slaps. But that is besides the point.</p><p>“Oi, Maybank!”</p><p>JJ inwardly groaned at the sound of Rafe’s voice. He would much rather hear nails on a chalkboard than whatever Rafe had to say. JJ wouldn’t consider them bullies, they were simply the top tier of the uptown kids who had some sort of superiority complex. And JJ had no issue on challenging them, it was far too easy to wind up a bunch of rich kids who weren’t used to being called out on their bullshit. And it just stuck. They would say something stupid to try and provoke him, and most of the time JJ’s words were enough for them to leave him alone. He had the satisfaction of punching Rafe in the face a few times, but usually Pope and John B were quick to hold him back. After all, it would backfire on JJ if he got into trouble with an uptown kid.</p><p>“What do you want?” JJ huffed out, glancing up at the trio. The sight of the three of them almost brought a smile to his lips. Uptown kids and their need to follow trends, they wore the same outfit in different variations and it honestly made JJ want to laugh. The classic preppy look with their pastel sweaters and tennis shoes, it made JJ want to gag. But he contained his vomit as Rafe spoke up.</p><p>“Aw, c’mon, Maybank. That all you got today? A bit pathetic.” Rafe snickered, the other two laughing along with their leader. JJ rolled his eyes. The funniest thing about them was their outfits.</p><p>“As much as I’d love to talk to you little pastel powerpuff girls, I have much better things to do in my life,” JJ said with a sarcastic smile on his lips as he side-stepped the trio, attempting to make his way past them. He really didn’t have the patience to deal with them today. He had happily planned to steal food from Pope and take a nap for the hour. But the second he felt Rafe’s hand on his shoulder, he knew that wasn’t going to be happening.</p><p>“Watch your mouth, Maybank.” Rafe spat, his hand tightening on JJ’s shoulder. The act made him want to cringe away and rip off his skin. The feeling of his hand on his shoulder, his thumb brushing that little bit of skin near the neckline of his sweater, it made JJ want to gag. It felt <em>horrible</em>. He wanted that feeling gone.</p><p>“Piss off, Cameron.” He scoffed, harshly jerking his shoulder so Rafe’s hand would lose its grip but it only tightened. In an act of desperation, JJ did the only thing that seemed reasonable. He shoved Rafe away. Now normally, it would be enough to have Rafe stumble a few steps so JJ can make a quick exit. But JJ just so happened to have forgotten that this wasn’t like every other normal time. He wasn’t normal anymore. So, his shove was much more than a wee push, it was more like completely winding Rafe. JJ couldn’t help but cringe when he heard the sound of Rafe’s body colliding with the lockers before he slumped to the ground, a dent now evident in the lockers from the collision. Topper and Kelce looked at JJ with mixed looks of confusion and fear before rushing to their friend’s aid.</p><p>“Oh my god, Rafe!”</p><p>JJ’s head snapped to the end of the hallway where he could see Sarah Cameron, but she wasn’t alone. Beside her was the curly haired girl from the trip. His eyes widened a little when his gaze met hers, but he was only met with a glare from the mysterious beauty.</p><p>“What’s your problem?” She hissed at JJ as the two girls got closer, now seeing the full effect of what JJ had done. JJ gulped a little, his fingers tapping the side of his legs as he tried to think this through. What could he say, ‘<em>oh sorry, kinda lost control of my new powers, I’ll be a little more careful next time</em>’. Yeah, that wasn’t going to work.</p><p>“He started it!” JJ blurted out, only to mentally smack himself at how childish he sounded. “I barely touched him, he was being dramatic!” He added but the looks of uncertainty didn’t reassure him that they bought it. He was in the lion’s den here, a downtown kid surrounded by the privileged. He was never going to win. So, he did the only sane thing any downtown kid would do. He got out of there as quick as he could.</p><p>“He could be concussed!” Sarah Cameron spoke up for the first time, a frown on her face as she met JJ’s gaze. He could almost feel the judgement oozing from her.</p><p>“Maybe he will finally have some brain cells knocked into him!” And with that, JJ ran out of that hallway and didn’t stop running until he was far away from the school.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry what?”</p><p>Following the fiasco on Monday, JJ’s week hadn’t been much better. Most of it was spent avoiding the uptown crew whilst simultaneously keeping a low profile, which is very hard for someone like JJ. He was used to being the class clown, milking any attention he got. Now he felt like he was under house arrest or something, trapped to keep to himself and work out what the hell was happening to him. But true to their commitment of being his best friends, John B and Pope were right there beside him. It had been a long and stressful week but they made it through. It was a little exhausting on them but they had each other to lean on. JJ was just glad he wasn’t alone.</p><p>But now, sat in Pope’s bedroom on the Saturday night, looking between the two boys with a very concerned look, JJ wasn’t sure his weekend was going to be any more relaxing. He knew the three of them combined weren’t the best combinations. They probably shared a brain cell between them and even then, it mostly resided with Pope and his weird, random facts. They had come up with some really strange, out-there ideas before—like the time they tried to give John B a perm with household products or when they convinced themselves they could do a road trip in John B’s crappy van. But this was the icing on the cake. This was enough for JJ to confirm that his friends had completely lost their mind.</p><p>“Think about it!” John B continued, practically rolling on the balls of his feet in excitement. JJ raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt him. To be honest, JJ wasn’t even sure where to start with how bad of an idea this was. “You have these super cool powers that are totally useless to everyday life, so why not put them to use? You could be like—the next Batman or something!”</p><p>“Batman was a rich dude who made gadgets. He doesn’t even have any powers. How the hell would I be like Batman?”</p><p>“Okay, bad example,” Pope piped up. “But just think about it. You could make a difference, be a hero!”</p><p>“A really badass superhero!” John B added.</p><p>JJ looked at them with a frown on his face. This now just seemed like a deranged joke. He was waiting for them to laugh, to say it was just a silly joke and move on with their usual weekend plans. But they didn’t. They continued.</p><p>“I mean, we could be a team! The three of us! You’ll go out and do all the crime fighting, Pope can make crazy gadgets and do all the…tech stuff and I can be your guy in the chair, you know?”</p><p>“My guy in the chair?”</p><p>“Yeah, you know, the guy in the headset…surrounded by screens…telling you where to go when you need extra help and stuff.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Like Pope would set it up, but I would be the mastermind behind it! Like you’re stuck in a building and can’t find a way out, I would help you find a route. Your guy in the chair!”</p><p>JJ only shook his head, pressing his fingers to his temples to try and not completely lose his temper.</p><p>“And like every superhero ever, you’ll need a suit. So, I went looking through some stuff and I found my mum’s sewing machine,” Pope fumbled around in his pocket before he pulled out a small bunch of red fabric. He threw it to JJ, which he easily caught. JJ then realised it was like a ski mask, with two small holes for his eyes. “It’s not much but we can work on it, keep your identity secret and everything.”</p><p>“Oh, and you’ll need a badass name! I was thinking like Night Monkey, or—“</p><p>“—Spiderling!” Pope interrupted with a grin, clearly proud of it. But JJ had enough.</p><p>“Can the both of you just shut up!” He snapped, both boys instantly quieting down, looking at JJ with concerned looks. “Okay, are you out of your mind? Me? A superhero? Hate to fucking break it to you but I am not the superhero type guy, alright? I’m not your friendly neighbourhood nice guy helping old ladies cross the street or getting cats out of the tree! I could give zero fucks about the law cause all its there for is rich idiots to manipulate and use to ruin lives of people like us!” JJ cried out to them, letting go of any hope he had on trying to keep his cool.</p><p>“People like us don’t become heroes, alright? We are usually the ones that get locked up. And knowing my luck, I will be thrown straight into some loony house, in a straitjacket because of these powers! You guys have to be absolute fools if you think any of this would work.” JJ huffed as he stood up, shoving the mask into his pocket before making his way to the door. “I don’t care about other people, alright? I care about you guys, my mum and most importantly, myself. Why the hell should I risk my life for a world that won’t appreciate it anyways.” Both boys stood there stunned, looking at JJ with wide eyes and parted lips.</p><p>“JJ—“</p><p>“No, okay? Superheroes are meant for comic books and movies, not real life, alright? Grow up.” And with that, JJ slammed the door as he left the apartment.</p><p>JJ scoffed, muttering to himself as he walked through the dark streets of New York, deciding to take the longer route back home. He needed the time to clear his head, grasp his thoughts. He didn’t know what the boys were thinking, he was definitely not fit to be a hero. Were they out of their minds? Give a guy some abnormal powers and suddenly he should be putting on a cape and preaching morals. That wasn’t JJ, that would never be JJ. He was selfish, arrogant at times and beyond prideful. But he was aware. He knew what he was and he knew he didn’t have what it took to be a hero. Pope and John B needed to stop being ignorant and see that.</p><p>He rolled his eyes at the thought and continued his way back to his building complex, hands shoved in his pockets with his right-hand clenching around the fabric of the mask. Small puffs escaped his lips as JJ started regretting taking the long way home. It was October and winter was promising to come early, JJ could tell that much by the stinging cold against his cheeks. The cold was just the cherry on top of his bitter mood.</p><p>Yet, as JJ continued to make his way home, he could hear the sound of people talking, causing a frown to form on his face. JJ had walked this way many times, especially during the night, and the chance of passing someone down these streets were fairly rare. Maybe the odd one here or there, but a group of people? Definitely not common.</p><p>At first, he ignored it. He had gotten used to the heightened senses over the week, being able to hear things from a distance even when he didn’t try. For all he knew, he could be hearing the muttering of some people a few blocks over. So, he ignored it and carried on walking. But then it started getting louder and clearer. JJ felt his whole body go on alert, the hair on his arm standing up, like his body knew something was off. He could feel it in his gut, a horrible realisation that this wasn’t going to be his usual walk home.</p><p>It wasn’t until when JJ turned the corner that he realised just what he had walked into. There stood around five men, all wearing masks that covered the lower half of their faces. They were dressed in all black, probably to draw less attention to themselves, but JJ could see the glint of guns in the light of the lampposts shining down on the street. They stood outside a building, three of them seeming to try and block the view of the other two. It was then when JJ’s brain actually caught up with what he was seeing and realised what the building was. A bank. These guys were trying to rob a bank.</p><p>Well <em>shit</em>.</p><p>The way JJ saw it, he had two options here. He could turn around, pretend he didn’t see anything and let them get on with what they were doing. Chances were they would either get caught by the police or he would see that the bank had been successfully robbed tomorrow morning on the news. Or JJ could do something about it. He quickly grabbed his phone from his pocket, only to see that it was dead. Of course, it was the good ol’ Maybank luck. He shoved it back into his pocket and looked towards the five men.</p><p>Then an idea popped into his head. A stupid, insane idea that was nothing short of self-deprecating and downright dumb. It was short of one of the worst ideas he had ever had. JJ had done a lot of weird stuff in his life but this definitely tops it all. And the worst part was that he was going through with it, because as much as he hated it, it was his only choice right now.</p><p>“I’m gonna regret this.” JJ huffed to himself as he snatched the mask out of his pocket and pulled it down over his face, adjusting it so he could see through the small holes Pope had made. He let out a breath, shaking his shoulders a little as he tried to pump himself up, get his adrenaline going.</p><p>“You got this, it’s not like they have guns or anything,” JJ muttered to himself as he placed his hands on the wall of the building across from the bank, the one he was currently hiding around so the bank robbers wouldn’t see him, before he began to scale the building. I mean, who would expect the enemy coming from above, right?</p><p>He stopped around half way up the building, thanks to the heightened senses he was able to still see the criminals clearly. He watched them closely, seeing only the three men that were on lookout where the one with guns. “Oh, let’s hope this works.” He whispered to himself before extending his arm out.</p><p>“What the fuck!” One of them called out as his gun was snatched from his hands in the blink of an eye, his two friends following a similar reaction. JJ wasn’t even thinking about where he was throwing the guns, just as long as they were nowhere near these dudes when he confronted them.</p><p>He watched them freak out, yelling at each other as they looked around for the culprit to their missing guns. He heard the half-ass threats they used and tried not to snort before he shot a web to one of the lampposts nearby and swung down, landing gracefully at the top of the lamppost.</p><p>“Guys, I hate to break it to you but someone lied, bank doesn’t open until tomorrow morning.” JJ called out to them, giving a small shrug. All five heads snapped up to look at him, and the glares he was receiving was enough to tell him that these guys weren’t big jokesters.</p><p>“Piss off, kid, this is none of your business.” One of them replied in a blunt, scruffy voice. It honestly made JJ cringe a little.</p><p>“You see,” JJ sighed. “I’ve made it my business so…” He trailed off before snapping his wrist, a web shooting out to stick to the head of the closest criminal and with a firm tug, his head hit the pole before he slumped to the ground.</p><p>One of the men growled at JJ, clearly not happy about some weird kid interrupting their wee heist. “You had your warning, kid. Come down and play with the adults.” He taunted before JJ noticed the glimmer of something in the light. A knife. Of-<em>fucking</em>-course the gun wasn’t the only weapon they had on them.</p><p>“That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it?” He commented, shooting a web to wrap around the criminal’s wrist, prepared to pull it out of his grasp, only for the robber to tug the web instead, sending JJ flying off the lamppost and falling on his ass to the ground. “Fuck!” He hissed as he quickly jumped to his feet.</p><p>“Life is unfair,” The criminal muttered before reaching to punch JJ but he easily dodged it. The speed and agility with which he moved with clearly distracting the criminal long enough for JJ to kick him hard enough that sent him stumbling back into the wall. JJ barely had time to process it before he snapped his hand to the left, stopping a fist that was inches away from his face.</p><p>“Nice try, asshole.” He huffed before twisting the criminal’s arm before sending a swift punch to his jaw. There was a satisfying pop sound that told JJ he would be preoccupied for at least a couple of minutes.</p><p>He then noticed two of the criminals trying to corner him, and he couldn’t help but smirk a little under the mask at just how cliché it seemed. In seconds, JJ has webs shooting out each wrist, attaching to the chests of each men, before yanking the two towards each other. Groans echoed through the empty street as both men collided with each other.</p><p>JJ’s head snapped to the side when he heard an angry battle call as he saw the man with the now dislocated jaw running towards him. JJ crouched down a little before he began running towards the criminal, his arms hooking around his knees. He kept running forwards until JJ felt glass smash around him and the two of them fell through. He quickly got up, wincing at the window he had just broken before turning to the criminal and giving him a good smack in the face—he definitely wasn’t holding back with his strength on that one.</p><p>JJ began to work fast, not knowing how long each of the criminals would stay dazed and unconscious for. In no time, he had them piled together, a healthy amount of web fluid keeping them tied together. They wouldn’t be going anywhere—at least for twenty minutes. But it was just JJ’s luck that he didn’t have to worry about that time limit because not even seconds after he finished, he heard the sirens and saw the blue lights flashing down the streets.</p><p>Police cars began to surround the bank, creating a semi-circle to prevent any possible escape. Officers began to exit their vehicles, guns set and loaded and now aimed towards JJ. “This is NYPD, keep your hands where we can see them!” One officer called out.</p><p>“Shit,” JJ muttered to himself as he raised his hands in the air, watching as officers slowly approached the crime scene.</p><p>He watched as a look of confusion washed over their faces as they took in the scene: the smashed window, the five tied up men, the weird silky rope that was binding them together and of course, JJ in his crappy mask. He watched as they evaluated the situation. Watched as they tried to piece it all together before one officer—the badge telling JJ her name was Captain Peterkin—stopped in front of JJ with raised eyebrows. “Did you do this?”</p><p>“Sure did, ma’am.”</p><p>“Why?” Another officer perked up, JJ could see his badge said Officer Shoupe.</p><p>“They were robbing a bank, what did you want me to do? Sit around making daisy chains until you showed up?” JJ immediately defended, glaring as best as he could with the mask on his face.</p><p>Peterkin smiled a little before she cleared her throat, JJ’s attention shifting to her. “Then I guess we owe you a great deal of thanks for your work.”</p><p>“All in a day’s work, can I leave now? I’m sure the security cameras will give you all the answers you need.” JJ stated as he already began to take a few steps away from the crime scene, walking backwards.</p><p>“Can we at least know your name?” Peterkin asked.</p><p>JJ looked down at his wrists before he snapped them up, watching as the web attached to nearby building. He looked at Peterkin and couldn’t help grin under his mask as he answered her question before tugging on the web and swinging away into the night.</p><p>
  <em>“Call me Spider-Man.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Let’s just get embarrassed in front of the whole city!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>JJ is starting to gain recognition around New York as the new hero in town. However, some complications arise with his new chemistry partner. Oh, and turns out he isn’t the only bloke around here with powers.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So Jiara are finally starting to make an appearance 👀I hope you enjoy this and I am sorry in advance for any feels you get with JJ and his mum cause they are really cute and i just really love them so expect more scenes with Georgia Maybank :')</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Spider-Man does it again! Report of our favourite web-slinging hero saving the day once again after a fatal accident left an apartment complex on the corner of 5th and 36th street in flames. The teen hero arrived at the scene not long after the distress call was made to the local fire department and managed to rescue over twelve people that were trapped on the top floor. New York thanks Spider-Man once again.” </em>
</p><p>JJ grinned as he leaned back in his seat, sparing a smug look towards John B in the driver’s seat. JJ didn’t usually carpool with John B but it was getting colder and his <em>extra-curricular</em> activities were wearing him exhausted by morning. Plus, the last time JJ skated to school when he was half asleep, Pope had to pull him out of a trash can. Turns out raccoons can be very territorial and did not appreciate the blond taking a small visit into their home. He was pretty sure he still had scars on his back from some of those little bastards.</p><p>“Three weeks on the job and you already have a little fanbase,” John B commented, reaching over to turn the radio down a little since the reporter moved onto some irrelevant news neither of the boys cared about. “Soon you’ll have a swarm of fangirls chasing after you while you fight crime.”</p><p>“Don’t be jealous, JB,” JJ grinned, both arms behind his head as he looked at the passing view. “I’m sure one of my groupies will slum it down for you.” He teased, only laughing when he felt the flick on his forehead.</p><p>As much as he hated to admit it, JJ had seriously enjoyed the past three weeks. They were intense, impulsive and unpredictable. Just how JJ liked his life to be. It wasn’t easy at first though, it took a good few attempts before the people of New York actually labelled him as a hero. Maybe it was because he was some young bloke who popped out of nowhere with abilities that no could really understand. Or maybe it was because he was going around in a red ski mask, blue shirt, a red vest with an awfully drawn spider on it and some blue joggers. He looked like a right on idiot, especially with the chunky goggles Pope added to his costume. But if it kept his identity secret, then so be it. The last thing JJ wanted was a bunch of journalists swarming his apartment, especially since he wanted to keep this whole alter ego away from his parents. In fact, he wanted to keep it away from anyone who wasn’t John B or Pope.</p><p>It was safer that way.</p><p>“At least that’s one more that Pope.” John B said nonchalantly.</p><p>“As if, dude!” JJ scoffed, grinning at the distressed—and fairly high pitched—‘WHAT’ that came from the brunette. “Oh, c’mon, Pope created a whole ass bat signal for me! You just sit there and look pretty! Pope gets <em>at least</em> two groupies.” He said with a shrug.</p><p>It was true. JJ knew Pope was smart, but this was next level. After realising that JJ wasn’t getting the recognition he needed to be labelled a ‘superhero’, Pope had come up with the ingenuous idea to infiltrate the police radio stations. Not only did they have full access to updates on crimes around the city, but Pope even felt a little fancy and made it so JJ would get a notification sent to his phone the second there was a job for Spider-Man. That boy was way too smart for his own good, but JJ was grateful for it.</p><p>“Aw, you think I’m pretty?” John B asked with a teasing grin.</p><p>“Yeah,” JJ smiled, reaching to place his hand on John B’s shoulder with a squeeze. “Pretty fucking ugly.”</p><p>John B’s smile instantly dropped as he scowled at JJ, who was happily snickering at the sudden change in mood. “Whatever, Spider-boy.”</p><p>“Yikes, low blow.”</p><p>The rest of the journey was spent in a similar vibe, except with JJ checking his phone every five minutes. He couldn’t help it, but the past three weeks had been some of the most exciting in his life. JJ had been labelled the troublemaker his whole life, the one that was throwing pencils into Mrs Ramirez’s curls because they looked like little hoops. Or even just doing his damn best to avoid the work he was given. It was a force of habit. JJ’s brain was running at a million miles a second. Nothing could hold him down, keep him entertained for longer than thirty minutes at most. And his teachers had constantly reminded him that his impulsive nature and high energy would lead him nowhere good in life.</p><p>All JJ had to say to them now was a massive ‘FUCK YOU!’ because how wrong they were. It was those qualities that made JJ the perfect hero. He could react quick to a sudden change, he was always on his feet, he had found something that not only could he channel all his energy into—but he was damn good at it as well. John B and Pope had warned him that it was best to keep himself humble, to not get too arrogant. But who was he kidding? JJ made a pretty fucking bomb superhero and everyone loved him. It seemed like he deserved to feel arrogant, to soak in his time in the spotlight. He enjoyed every single second.</p><p>So, can you really blame JJ for checking his phone, wanting an excuse to put that mask on and do the one thing he is good at? Except for skateboarding. Everyone knew JJ was the best skater in Queens.</p><p>Unfortunately, there was no sudden crimes that JJ could use as excuse to ditch school. A true tragedy, if you asked him. It seems like he will just have to suffer through another day of learning things that either happened way too long ago, didn’t make sense to him or he just truly didn’t care about. Which just happened to be basically every subject—excluding wood-shop. Except he was taken out of the class because apparently making mini bongs for birds is not okay. Who would’ve thought.</p><p>“I don’t see what the issue is—it’s a fool-proof plan!” John B argued as the two boys made their way through the corridors of Midtown High. Only stopping once they reached John B’s locker where he exchanged his books and JJ checked out the hallway for anything that caught his eye.</p><p>“Bro, you have a ten-year plan to end up with Sarah Cameron,” JJ stated bluntly. “And even then, you end up as her second husband—“</p><p>“No one can prove what happened to the first.”</p><p>“It’s fucking sad, JB.”</p><p>“It’s a solid plan.” John B stated simply and shrugged his shoulders, deciding to ignore JJ as he rolled his eyes, muttering something about John B being a ‘hopeless fool’. John B only grinned wider and glanced at his watch before whispering a small ‘shit’ to himself. “I gotta go, see you at lunch.” And with that, John B was zooming his way down the corridor.</p><p>“You know it’s really creepy that you plan when you bump into her!” JJ called down the corridor, but he doubted John B heard him. “Like really fucking creepy…like restraining order level creepy!”</p><p>Once he noticed John B’s head turn the corner, undoubtedly on his way to ‘coincidentally’ bump into Sarah Cameron, JJ calmly made his way to his first period class, not in a big rush to get there.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>You see, after the incident in wood shop and many others after that, the school had taken the decision to move JJ into a class they deemed more valuable of his time. Chemistry. Stick the ADHD kid in a room full of chemicals…seemed about right. However, JJ was being transferred half way through the term with absolutely no knowledge in chemistry other than how to make a Molotov cocktail. Therefore, he didn’t really see an issue in showing up to a class he was already hopeless in. His teacher disagreed.</p><p>“Mr Maybank, it’s nice of you to finally join us.” Mr Marino—a middle-aged bald man who had looked as though he had been through one too many divorces and contained most of his knowledge in the form of his beer belly—commented as JJ entered the class.</p><p>“Oh, you wouldn’t believe what happened to me!” JJ sighed dramatically.</p><p>“Let me guess: your alarm didn’t go off.”</p><p>“It was my pet monkey, sir. Has a mind of its own.”</p><p>“Your pet monkey?”</p><p>“Yup, his name is JB. Nasty wee guy but I keep him around, he’s a good laugh. Could do with a shower though.”</p><p>“Take a seat, Maybank.”</p><p>“I can feel the love.” JJ grinned before he turned to look at the class. It was set up with eight workbenches, two seats at each. His eyes scanned over each one before he caught an empty seat at the back-left workbench, the only empty seat—and just his luck it was next to the curly haired beauty for the trip.</p><p>JJ was starting to think he might actually enjoy this class.</p><p>“We just keep meeting, sweetheart. I think it’s a sign.” JJ whispered to her as he took his seat next to her, definitely sitting a little closer than he had to. He tried not to smirk when he noticed her subtly moving away from him. JJ always loved a challenge.</p><p>“Or a punishment.” She replied bluntly, not even sparing JJ a glance.</p><p>“Aw, is this how it’s going to be for the rest of the year, princess?” JJ muttered with a pout. He tried not to smile when she finally turned to look at him.</p><p>“Rafe got a concussion.” She hissed.</p><p>“So?” JJ frowned.</p><p>“So? You caused it!”</p><p>“And I should care because?”</p><p>“He is banned from the football team for six weeks!” JJ stared at her blankly.</p><p>“And…?”</p><p>“He is the <em>captain</em>!”</p><p>“Boohoo, they’ll survive without him.” JJ shrugged, leaning back in his stool as he flashed her one of his usual girl-charming smiles. “But hey, if you’re really stressed out about it, I’m sure I can help you find a way to relax.”</p><p>“You’re a pig.” She stated with a small huff, stubbornly turning to face the front, planning to not even give him the chance to redeem himself. Trust me when I say Kiara is an open person, always there to give people a second chance. But JJ Maybank was not one of those people. In the three times she had met him, he had been nothing but a shameless flirt who had no care for the world beyond his sex life. She could be judging him too quickly, but in her defence, he hadn’t given her anything else to work with.</p><p>However, Kiara assumed her behaviour was clear enough that she didn’t want to talk to him, that she could gladly go the rest of the year without willingly speaking to him. But this is JJ. Hyperactive, unable to sit still JJ. He didn’t get the hint.</p><p>“So, do anything interesting this weekend?” JJ asked her, that classic smirk of his on his lips. But she didn’t answer him. Instead, she kept her gaze on Mr Marino and his oh-so interesting talk on bond orbitals within an atom.</p><p>JJ raised his eyebrows when he received no reply from her. “Giving me the silent treatment now? That’s a bit rude.” He commented.</p><p>“So is giving someone a concussion.” She stated.</p><p>“Do you want to know what I did?” JJ asked.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Geez, princess, no one ever taught you manners?” He teased, taking the pen he was spinning between his fingers to gently poke her arm. She only huffed and moved her seat further away.</p><p>“Okay, alright, fine! I get it…” JJ trailed off, and Kiara couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. But she spoke to soon. She heard the scrape of a chair and suddenly she could feel the warmth of JJ right beside her, their elbows just touching.</p><p>“Is there an issue, Mr Maybank?” She heard Mr Marino call out but the boy next to her just shook his head, that mischievous glint shining in his eyes.</p><p>“No, please carry on, Alan.” The blond replied, his fingers tapping against the worktop counter.</p><p>Kiara sighed. She knew very well that she could put her hand up and complain, or even ask Mr Marino to change seats after class ended. But she was stubborn, and she would be damned if she gave JJ that satisfaction of knowing that he got under her skin.</p><p>This was going to be a<em> long</em> year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“She called me JB! That basically takes three years off my plan!”</p><p>“Dude, I don’t know if this is really sad or creepy now…” JJ grimaced. He had spent the last fifteen minutes listening to John B and his ‘coincidental’ encounter with Sarah Cameron. And if he was being honest, he was concerned for his friend. And his stomach…this boy needed to let JJ eat his lunch before he had to hear one more comment about how ‘yellow is totally her colour’.</p><p>“I mean, it just compliments her complexion so well! C’mon, how many people do you know that can pull of yellow and not looked totally washed out!” John B argued. But JJ just met him with a blank stare.</p><p>“When the fuck did you become a fashion expert?” JJ spoke up, his nose scrunched in confusion.</p><p>“I took a class once.”</p><p>JJ looked at him with his mouth agape. “Who the fuck are you?”</p><p>“Piss off, I wanted to learn how to dress better.”</p><p>“Says the guy that wears horrible thrifted Hawaiian shirts.” JJ deadpanned. John B only rolled his eyes and turned his attention back onto Sarah.</p><p>JJ followed his line of sight towards Sarah Cameron and her group, and he was shocked at the sight. He noticed the usual people in their uptown outfits and obnoxious laughs he could unfortunately hear from his seat. But it was the sight of his chemistry partner looking quite cosy under Rafe’s arm that caught him off-guard. His eyebrows furrowed a little, but hey, JJ should have seen this coming. The uptown kids like to stick with each other. Yet, JJ couldn’t help but find the sight quite uncomfortable to look at—Rafe had that effect on people. It was a surprise he managed to score…JJ paused. He had spent a whole hour with her and yet, he didn’t even know her name.</p><p>He nudged John B, yet neither one of them looked away from the group. “Hey JB, who’s Sarah’s new chick?”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“The pretty curly haired one standing next to her, dumbass.”</p><p>“Oh…I don’t actually know—“</p><p>“—Kiara Carrera. Relocated here from Kernersville, North Carolina. Her father owns a large chain of restaurants around the country. She is also the only junior other than yours truly doing three AP classes, including environmental science, biology and English.” Pope finished, panting a little considering he had literally just ran into the cafeteria and heard the last few words of their conversation.</p><p>JJ looked up at Pope with a mix of awe and fear. “What, you forgot her national insurance number as well? How the fuck do you know all that?”</p><p>“The school files.” Pope answered easily as he turned his laptop around and with the screen facing them, JJ decided he was definitely a little scared of Pope.</p><p>“Those are meant to be locked away in some super, secret network thing!” JJ hissed, only to be met with a smirking Pope.</p><p>“As if, it’s easy as fuck to hack something as amateur as the school’s firewall. Could do it with my eyes closed.” He grinned at the two of them. “Why, JJ? Hiding something from us like…I don’t know…your middle name being <em>Belinda</em>.” He snickered.</p><p>“YOUR NAME IS BELINDA?!” John B gasped, looking at JJ with wide eyes.</p><p>“Shut up, would you!” JJ hissed at the both of them, leaning over the table to flick John B on the forehead. “I was named after my grandmother.”</p><p>“Aww, Grammie Belinda.” John B cooed. JJ only glared at him.</p><p>“Hey, Grammie Belinda was a saint, don’t disrespect her like that.” JJ huffed, pointing a finger towards John B. He then turned to Pope who had made himself comfortable in the seat next to him.</p><p>“Why were you asking about Kiara?” Pope asked JJ, snatching a few chips from his plate. JJ swatted his hand away but didn’t stop Pope from doing it again. “Does JJ have a little crush?” He teased, pouting a little.</p><p>“Piss off,” JJ laughed as he nudged Pope with his shoulder. “She’s just my chemistry partner.”</p><p>“Ooh, so you guys have chemistry together?” John B grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.</p><p>“Fuck off, JB. Go back to stalking your little uptown princess.” JJ commented, returning the grin as both friends shook their head. They both knew the other meant no harm.</p><p>“Well, if you two little lovebirds are done having your moment,” Pope piped up, both boys looking over at him. “I need you to meet me on your rooftop at nine sharp tonight.”</p><p>“Damn, Pope, finally taking me out?”</p><p>“You wish, Spider-Boy,” He grinned, but the look he was giving made JJ a little nervous for what Pope had hidden up his sleeve. It could honestly range from a pet raccoon he befriended to creating some weird Frankenstein bug.</p><p>“Just be there.” John B pouted.</p><p>“What about me?! Is this where I become the third-wheel?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Mama?”</p><p>“In here!”</p><p>JJ dropped his bag by the couch as he made his way to the kitchen, the soft sound of the click telling him the door shut behind him. He sniffed the air as he walked in, seeing his mum at the stove and grinned a little, pressing a kiss to her cheek.</p><p>“What’s for dinner?” He asked, peeking over her shoulder.</p><p>“Spaghetti,” She hummed, a soft smile on her lips as she peeked a glance at her son. “How was school?”</p><p>“The usual,” He answered with a shrug as he made his way to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water before heading towards his usual spot on the counter. “Teachers still don’t appreciate my comments, Pope said smart things I didn’t understand and JB was a love-sick puppy.”</p><p>She grinned, shaking her head a little. “I find John B’s attempts to woo that girl quite admirable actually,” She commented. “It wouldn’t kill you to be a hopeless romantic every once in a while.” Yet, she only laughed when she saw JJ’s face scrunch up in disgust.</p><p>Despite JJ’s reputation for being an adrenaline junkie who loves to live life on the edge, these were actually his favourite moments. The little moments he shared with his mum, just the two of them. It is one of the few moments in his life where he feels relaxed, no expectations or pressures. And as sappy as it sounded—and no offence to John B and Pope—but JJ wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was one of his best friends, one of the few people in his life he truly cared about. People like her are the reason he enjoys being Spider-Man, because despite the shit people in the world, there were some genuinely <em>good</em> people out there, like Georgia Maybank.</p><p>It was hard to believe JJ and Georgia Maybank were related. She was a sweetheart, the type of woman who would take time out of her own life to volunteer at local food shelters despite having just done a twelve-hour shift at the hospital. She is the type of woman to buy flowers and hand them to strangers on the street just to brighten someone’s day. She is the type of woman who would work her ass off to give her son all that she could, despite the struggles she faced with the bills and rent because her son was her life. She was the opposite of JJ’s hyperactive self.</p><p>But boy, did they look very similar. From the sandy blonde hair the two of them shared, to the bright blue eyes, to even the exact same smile. JJ really was a carbon copy of his mother. And there was a small part of her, one she would never outwardly admit, that adored the fact JJ looked so much like her. Like a primal mother instinct, she loved her son and she loved that everyone knew he was her son. She would be damned if someone ever asked her to hide that.</p><p>Georgia was the type of mother that had that warm aura around her, the one that made you just trust her with your life. The hugs she gives just makes you want to stay in her arms forever, because everything is just better with Georgia Maybank. JJ knew that and he always reminded himself of that. No matter what shit he gets into, no matter how much he may envy the uptown kids—none of them will ever have Georgia Maybank and he would gladly flaunt that.</p><p>He may not have designer clothes or a fancy car to drive to school. But they don’t have Georgia Maybank, dancing around barefoot in the kitchen while she badly sings along to some old 80s song that is playing on the radio, just to make him crack a smile.</p><p>JJ grinned as his mother grabbed his hand, pulling off the counter before they jokingly began to waltz around the small kitchen, some classical song playing from the small radio that sat on the counter by the stove. JJ only laughed as he apologized for stepping on her toes again, but she didn’t mind. She just smiled and continued to dance.</p><p>“Why do I have to do this? I’m starving, woman!” He whined playfully as he twirled his mum around a few times.</p><p>“Because, JJ, one day you’re going to have a beautiful girl—or boy, I won’t assume—that will somehow fall for that charm of yours,” She spoke softly, placing a hand on her son’s cheek, a proud glint in her eyes when he rolled his eyes at her statement but still had a small smile on his face. “And I will be damned if I don’t teach my son how to sweep a girl off her feet.”</p><p>“Nothing says romantic like stepping on a girl’s toes.” He stated bluntly.</p><p>Georgia only laughed and ruffled his hair before she turned back to the stove. She grabbed two plates, putting in a larger portion for JJ—which with his new transformation wouldn’t actually be enough but he will sneak out during the night to eat the leftovers when she’s asleep—before placing them on the small dining table in the corner, gesturing for him to join her.</p><p>The rest of the dinner was fairly uneventful, simply just JJ telling her about John B’s updated seven-year plan with Sarah Cameron and Georgia sharing any particularly interesting stories about patients she had to deal with during her shift. JJ really let this dinner sink in. As much as he loved his mother, her inability to say ‘no’ and be so giving kind of bothered him. Because she had taken up extra shifts for a few of her colleagues due to something about the ‘stress of wedding planning’. JJ had been seeing her less and less—and though it was good for his recent Spider-Man shenanigans—this dinner made him realise just how much he missed her. Just a nice, wee dinner with his mum, nothing else. And everything seemed to be going well, until he heard the radio presenter’s voice flowing through the kitchen.</p><p>
  <em>“Locals say that Spider-Man is the next best thing to happen to New York since deep-fried pizza! But I don’t know, Janet. I mean, who is this kid? Where did he come from? There just seems to be a lot of unanswered questions with this so-called hero. Can we really trust some prepubescent boy who probably spends his day with his head in a textbook? It just doesn’t seem—“ </em>
</p><p>The radio presenter was cut off by Georgia turning the volume down. “People can’t appreciate a good gesture anymore.” She huffed. JJ watched her closely as she finished off washing the last of the dishes before turning to face him, a small frown on her lips.</p><p>“I think he’s doing the city a favour.” JJ said half-heartedly with a shrug.</p><p>Georgia nodded, her fingers gently fiddling with chain around her neck, well more specifically the gold ring attached to it. “I know but,” She sighed. “What a shame, putting all this pressure on a poor teenage boy. Oh, I feel bad for his parents!”</p><p>JJ coughed a little. “It could be his decision, you know.”</p><p>Georgia continued as though she hadn’t heard him. “I could only imagine how stressful it would be have your son out there, throwing himself at danger.” She shook her head as she made her way to where JJ still sat at the dining table. “Promise me you wouldn’t do something so careless?” She asked sweetly, gently cupping his face in her hands as she looked down at him.</p><p>Now, JJ knew there was a teasing tone to her words. She wasn’t being serious because, how could she? Her son being a superhero with crazy powers? Not possible. She and JJ shared everything and it was because of that he couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt wash over him. He hated lying to his mum, he hated keeping secrets from her. They were always close, JJ never felt the need to hide things from her. There was always such a comfortable vibe between them. But he knew how she would react if he told her the truth. He knew she would freak out and make him stop. And JJ didn’t want to stop. As much as he hated the guilt that bubbled inside him, he pushed it away and gave her a grin.</p><p>“Of course not, I would come up with a better name than Spider-Man.” He joked lightly and closed his eyes when he felt his mum press a kiss to his forehead. He nuzzled his head slightly as he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against her stomach. He smiled softly when he felt her hands running through his hair, just like the way she used to do when he was younger and struggling to fall asleep. He tried to hold back a yawn.</p><p>“That’s my baby boy.” She said with a gentle laugh.</p><p>“Mama, I’m a not a baby! I’m a man now.” He whined but he didn’t pull away from her grip just yet. He missed his mum’s hugs, sue him.</p><p>“You’ll always be my baby boy.” She commented with a small shrug.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” He murmured. After a few moments of silence, he looked up at her, giving the best puppy-dog eyes he could. She was always a sucker for those. “Can I go hang out with JB and Pope tonight?” He asked with a sweet smile.</p><p>She rolled her eyes but nodded. “Just be back before your father gets home.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>JJ rubbed his hands together as he stared at the view from the roof. New York looked absolutely stunning this time of year, especially at night. The sky was pitch black, and it should’ve seemed daunting. But the bright lights of the city illuminated <em>everything</em>. It was mesmerising, a sight that JJ would never get tired of seeing. And with his newly discovered powers, he found something therapeutic about swinging around the city and being surrounded those bright lights. It felt like he was swinging through the stars—he obviously didn’t share that with the boys, they would take the piss out of him. Speaking of which…</p><p>“Where the fuck is he?” JJ hissed, turning to look at John B who only shrugged in response. As much as JJ liked New York at night, it was cold. The lower body temperature caused by the spider bite really didn’t help the situation. He had a hoodie and a jacket on and <em>still</em> the light breeze was making his teeth chatter.</p><p>“I don’t know.” John B shrugged. JJ rolled his eyes in annoyance. It was 9:15pm and JJ was about five minutes away from freezing to death.</p><p>Just then, the rooftop door opened and a wild Pope was sprinting towards then, panting heavily as he ripped his backpack off and quickly unzipped it. Words were leaving his lips but between the panting, neither of them could work out what he was saying.</p><p>“Dude, calm down, breathe!” John B exclaimed. Pope nodded and took a minute to catch himself.</p><p>“Your lives are gonna change forever!” He grinned before looking at JJ. “<em>Strip</em>.”</p><p>JJ raised his eyebrows. “What?”</p><p>“Strip.”</p><p>“Dude, it’s like fifty fucking degrees, I am not gonna fucking strip!”</p><p>“Stop whining and do it!” JJ huffed and started to take his clothes off, muttering some very…<em>colourful</em> phrases towards Pope. However, he didn’t get much time to question his friend’s demands because the second he was stripped down to his boxers, he had a bunch of fabric thrown at him.</p><p>“Wait…is this…?” He trailed off, looking at Pope with a new look of excitement shining in his eyes.</p><p>“You bet,” Pope grinned. “Say hello to your brand-new suit, Spider-Man.”</p><p>JJ excitedly began to pull the suit on, suddenly forgetting all about his theatrics with the cold. But Pope wasn’t done with his surprise.</p><p>“The suit is a total upgrade!” He began, his hands moving wildly as he spoke. “The fabric is strong but flexible. I have added small web-shooters to go over your spinneret glands so you can have a more direct shots. There are a few extra things I’ve added like a small heater to keep you warm and a few sensors, so we can keep track of your vitals. Oh, and for us—” He paused before handing John B a silver bracelet.</p><p>John B looked at the bracelet in confusion. “Uh, thanks?”</p><p>Pope only grinned and showed John B that he was wearing a similar bracelet. He slipped it off before unclipping a small oval shaped device from the middle of the bracelet. “This is the coolest part,” He nodded for John B to copy his movements. “To be honest, these took the longest. I had JJ’s suit done like two weeks ago but—”</p><p>“And you made me wait this long? Dude, I looked like a weirdo running around in joggers!” JJ groaned, but there was no real hostility in his voice.</p><p>“Just put on your mask, dude!”</p><p>JJ rolled his eyes but didn’t answer as he slipped the mask over his face. He was a bit surprised at how easily he could see through it, way better than the goggles he had before. The suit was a perfect fit—props to Pope after it took an hour to get all of JJ’s measurements. The material was tight and breathable, practically clinging onto JJ like a second skin. Oddly enough, he felt far more comfortable in it than his last costume. Pope clearly liked the colour scheme, having kept the red and blue palette but with a massive spider on his chest, with lines wrapping around him to look like a web. He looked totally badass, he felt badass. He felt like a proper hero from one of those comic books and posters Pope has around his room.</p><p>“So, how do I look?” JJ asked, flexing as he gave the boys a little spin. Pope only grinned, proud of his creation. John B gasped, clearly just as hyped as JJ was.</p><p>“Dude, your ass looks great.” John B commented, causing JJ to snort.</p><p>“When does it not look great?”</p><p>“Guys! The last surprise!” Pope piped up, causing both boys to stop staring at JJ’s ass and instead turn to him.</p><p>“These little guys,” He said, nodding between the small oval devices in his and John B’s hands. “Are gonna help us keep in contact with you while you’re swinging around. Little ear pieces so we can help you out and keep tabs on you if you need any help.”</p><p>“Where’s my bracelet?” JJ frowned beneath the mask.</p><p>“You don’t need one, dumbass. Your ear piece is connected into your mask!” Pope grinned proudly. JJ let out a scoff, shaking his head.</p><p>“Pope, you fucking genius!” He yelled, and he pulled his friend into a tight hug. John B, feeling a little left out, quickly joined the hug.</p><p>“This is so cool, dude, now we are like an actual team!” John B grinned.</p><p>Pope was the first to pull back, looking at JJ with a wild look in his eyes. “I think it’s time for Spider-Man to show the city his new look.”</p><p>JJ grinned under the mask, already beginning to take a few steps back. “I think you’re right.” And without a second thought, he left himself fall off the edge of the building.</p><p>On that October night, New York watched their own hero swing through the streets, letting the cheers and whoops of the strangers sink in. They watched their hero in a new light, a more professional one. The next day, he was no longer that kid running around like some wannabe. He was Spider-Man, the new saviour of New York and a beloved hero.</p><p>It was wild what a good new suit could do for your reputation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Did you see the pictures <em>The Daily Bugle</em> released?”</p><p>“He looked so hot!”</p><p>“I’d let him save me any day!”</p><p>“You don’t even know what he looks like…”</p><p>“So? Have you seen those arms? Nothing else matters!”</p><p>JJ couldn’t help but let the smirk on his face grow as he walked through the corridors of the school. It was the day after his new suit reveal and he wasn’t going to lie, he was soaking in all the attention. He was particularly enjoying the twitter thread that was made about his ass. John B didn’t lie, his ass <em>did</em> look good in this new suit.</p><p>He continued his way through the sea of students before he made it to his chemistry class, not surprised that people were still talking about Spider-Man. His eyes instantly glanced over at Kiara, who was sitting at their workbench scrolling through her phone.</p><p>He grinned as he quickly past the other students and sat quite comfortably in his seat. His eyebrows raised slightly when she didn’t react at first to his appearance. His curiosity got the best of him as he leaned towards her, peeking over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. Now, JJ won’t lie to you, but when he saw her staring at pictures of Spider-Man, his ego definitely inflated a little. Okay, maybe more than a little but you get the point.</p><p>“You a fan?” He couldn’t help but ask, trying to keep his smirk to himself.</p><p>Kiara quickly snapped her head to look at him, slamming her phone down screen first onto the desk. “Can you mind your business?” She huffed, trying to calm her heartbeat a little. She didn’t even hear him come in, which is odd since usually you could hear JJ from a mile away.</p><p>“Aw, c’mon, Kiara! I thought we were besties now.” He grinned to her, wiggling his eyebrows a little. He leaned forward on the desk, bringing him a little closer to her. His forearms were pressed against the desk, his body leaning on them. She noticed how close their hands were. But after yesterday, she refused to left JJ get under her skin again. Or at least let him see how much he is bothering her. So, she stayed where she was, not moving back like he expected.</p><p>“You know my name.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement.</p><p>“Surprised?” He whispered, smirking a little when he noticed he wasn’t moving away. JJ risked it a little more and moved a bit closer.</p><p>“Took you long enough.” She replied with a shrug. JJ’s grin only widened.</p><p>“Oh yeah, counting down the days, princess?” He raised an eyebrow. He noticed her lips quirk a little, like she was fighting back a smile.</p><p>“You wish, pretty boy.”</p><p>“You think I’m pretty?”</p><p>“Shut up.”</p><p>“I think someone has a little crush, Kiara.” He grinned at her, only to witness her roll her eyes and push him away.</p><p>“In your dreams, Maybank.”</p><p>“Oh, you’re definitely in my dreams, Kiara.”</p><p>She rolled her eyes again but didn’t bother replying this time. She instead focused her gaze on the front of the class as Mr Marino entered the room, beginning the lesson. But if she had glanced over to the blond sitting on his right, she would’ve seen he was smiling throughout the whole lesson.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, dear!”</p><p>JJ nodded his head a little in acknowledgement and gave the older woman a small salute. “Always here to help, ma’am.” He said, handing her the small handbag that he had just rescued from the hands of some man who had tried to steal it from her.</p><p>
  <em> “Aw, you’re really starting to win over the senior citizens.” </em>
</p><p>JJ rolled his eyes when he heard Pope’s voice through his earpiece. “Dude, I think she pinched my ass.”</p><p>
  <em>“Lucky you, older woman, that’s hot.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“JB, shut up.” </em>
</p><p>JJ snorted a little at the bickering, extending his arm out before he was swinging between the buildings with no trouble. He had been using any free time he had lately to be out in his suit, getting used to all the cool, extra bits that Pope had added. And he won’t lie, the boy really outdid himself. JJ felt like a total badass, being able to swing around and save people and feel like a real hero. He also enjoyed the change in attitude people had with him. He was Spider-Man, the city hero. He was appreciated. He was <em>wanted</em>. Not something JJ felt very often.</p><p>“Anything happening around town?” JJ asked, his eyes scanning the streets below, waiting to see any conflict. He couldn’t help but feel as though there was a part of him that was on edge. He couldn’t really explain it, it was like a bad shiver down his spine. It was a similar feeling he felt before that bank robbery fiasco a few weeks ago. It was a nasty wee feeling, one that had him on alert. Something was wrong, he didn’t know what. But he could <em>sense</em> it.</p><p>
  <em>“Nah, everything seems to be fine. Maybe you should take a break, you’ve been swinging around for, like, three hours. You need to rest, dude.” </em>
</p><p>“What?” JJ muttered, so quiet that the boys on the other side barely heard him. That couldn’t be right, he can <em>feel</em> it. Something isn’t right, something bad is going to happen. “Guys, are you—”</p><p>He was cut off by a series of screams.</p><p>JJ’s body was reacting way before his brain did, like his hero side just leaped into action at the alert of any distress. He was swinging as fast as he could, his arms burning a little as he got closer and closer to the sound of those screams. He could hear his blood pumping in his ears, could feel his heart rate pick up. The adrenaline coursing through him, making him forget about the burning in his muscles from the three hours of patrolling he had done.</p><p>
  <em>“That’s fucking weird, there is no police reports coming through.” </em>
</p><p>JJ ignored the voices coming through the earpiece, his whole body feeling rigid as he crouched on top of a building, looking at the carnage below. There, in the middle of the square stood what looked like a moving black cloud. Civilians were screaming and running away, but the black cloud just <em>remained</em>. His eyes narrowed slightly, like he was waiting for it to do something, to lash out. But it didn’t. He opened his mouth, ready to ask Pope if he was just imagining something when he heard the black cloud speak.</p><p>“Spider-Man, oh Spider-Man! Come out, come out wherever you are!” It spoke in a raspy, demonic voice. Whatever this way, it wasn’t human. JJ may have failed biology, but he knew that <em>for sure.</em></p><p>
  <em> “JJ, don’t. We are have no idea what this thing is. It could be a trap—”</em>
</p><p>“I got this, Pope.” JJ muttered, ignoring his friends’ pleas to think this through as he swung down, landing a couple of feet away from the black cloud. “You called?”</p><p>Suddenly, in the middle of the cloud, JJ swore he could see lips begin to materialise. He frowned beneath the mask but didn’t move away. His fist was clenched at the side, ready to react if the cloud tried anything.</p><p>“Ah, we finally meet, Spider-Man.” The cloud spoke again. The voice sent shivers down his spine. JJ pushed away that feeling of discomfort. Something about the cloud felt familiar, but he couldn’t tell what. It was like an annoying itch he couldn’t reach.</p><p>“Am I supposed to know who you are?” JJ questioned. “Look, dude, if you’re a fan, I appreciate it, but you don’t need to scare away a whole block of people to get my attention. You can just ask for an autograph like everyone else.”</p><p>
  <em>“JJ stop provoking it!” </em>
</p><p>“You’ll know me soon enough.” The voice replied ambiguously. JJ furrowed his eyebrows together. Whatever this cloud was, it was being far too vague for JJ’s liking.</p><p>“PEOPLE OF NEW YORK, I SPEAK OUT TO YOU!”</p><p>JJ winced, clutching his ears. His body was on high-alert, his ears sensitive to pick out any small noise or rustle. He looked at the cloud and then at his surroundings, noticing how every screen—every phone, every billboard, every electrical compliance in this vicinity that he could see—was projecting the black cloud. It was broadcasting to the whole city. JJ couldn’t help but wonder where the fuck the hidden camera was. How was it doing this?</p><p>“YOU LABEL THIS KID AS YOUR HERO! YOU TRUST THIS CHILD WITH YOUR LIVES! YOU ARE FOOLISH!” The voice boomed, suddenly the black cloud began to form tentacles that were slithering from whatever was at the centre of it. “LET ME SHOW YOU THE TRUTH! LET ME SHOW YOU WHO YOU HAVE TO PROTECT YOU!”</p><p>JJ was a little too distracted by the concept of a cloud broadcasting to the city that he didn’t even notice one of the tentacles slithering towards him. It wrapped itself around his leg before swinging him into the nearest building.</p><p>JJ let out a small <em>oomph</em> as his body made contact with the brick wall. He could hear yelling in the distance, the sounds of people screaming. But nothing was overpowering the ringing in his ears as he slowly dragged himself to stand up.</p><p>
  <em> “JJ, GET UP! JJ!”</em>
</p><p>“Jesus fucking Christ,” He muttered, blinking a few times before he turned back to look at the cloud. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and quickly rolled over to the side, the tentacle that threw him smashing into the wall not even a second later. That rush of adrenaline hitting JJ again as he quickly swung out of there, not even looking behind him until he knew he was a good distance away to assess the situation.</p><p>“IS THIS WHO YOU WANT PROTECTING YOU? A COWARDLY TEENAGER? C’MON, SPIDER-MAN! LET’S SEE WHAT YOU’VE GOT!”</p><p>JJ swore under his breath, trying to catch up with his thoughts as he watched more tentacles appear from the cloud. “Where the fuck are they coming from?” He muttered before swinging down to a lower building rooftop, crouching at the edge. He narrowed his eyes as he extended his hand out, shooting a web towards the centre of the cloud. There had to be something solid within this thing, something he can grip on to, something he can fight. But he was met with nothing. “Fuck.” He frowned before he began to crawl down the side of the building.</p><p>“You seem a bit jealous, mate!” JJ called out, watching as all eight of the tentacles seemed to snap their attention towards him. God, that was scary. “Don’t you have to tell me some wild origin story before you kill me?”</p><p>“MY AIM ISN’T TO KILL YOU, SPIDER-MAN. NOT YET!”</p><p>“Oh, that’s really reassuring, thank you so much.”</p><p>“I WANT NEW YORK TO SEE HOW PATHETIC YOU ARE. HOW USELESS THEIR SAVIOUR IS.”</p><p>“A bit of an odd wish, if you ask me.” He murmured to himself, quickly snapping his wrist before swinging around the black cloud. He watched as the tentacles reached out for him, just grazing him as he swung between the buildings.</p><p>
  <em>“JJ, FIGHT BACK!” </em>
</p><p>“How the fuck do I fight something that isn’t solid? Get a vacuum? If you have one big enough, please do share. Call the ghostbusters or something!”</p><p>He heard more screams, some closer than he expected. He assumed everyone ran off, but when he turned his head to the side, he noticed a man standing there, frozen in fear. More importantly, he saw a car heading straight towards the scared man.</p><p>“Shit, shit, shit,” JJ yelled as he quickly yanked his web, spinning around and landing in front of the man, his hands extended out in front of him. Seconds later he felt the impact of the car, the weight and momentum it came crashing in at hit him strong enough to make him slide back a few feet. “Go, dude!” He yelled at the man, who had finally come to his senses and thanked JJ profusely before sprinting away. JJ groaned and threw the car away from him, huffing slightly.</p><p>
  <em>“HOLY SHIT, JJ! THAT WAS A CAR!”</em>
</p><p>“Oh, no shit, Sherlock! I thought it was Barbie’s Dreamhouse.” Only JJ would be sarcastic while his life is in threat.</p><p>But it was that sarcasm that distracted him long enough for one of the tentacles wrap around his ankle, yanking him down from the small jump he had taken so the web he was currently gripping snapped with ease, preventing him a quick escape like he planned. He didn’t even have time to scream before he noticed the tentacle bringing him closer to the middle of the cloud, his eyes widening slightly.</p><p>He wiggled around in the tentacle’s grip, trying to find a way out but it was relentless. He wasn’t sure what was real or not, not sure if he imagined screaming in his head or if he actually did as he was dropped into the centre of the cloud.</p><p>Then, he felt nothing.</p><p>JJ was vaguely aware of his surroundings. He didn’t know if his eyes were open or not, but it was dark. He tried to move his arm, but it felt constricted, like he was swimming in something really thick. His brain was screaming at him to call out for Pope and John B, to move his hands and swing out of here, to do <em>something</em>. But another part of JJ felt completely content in this situation. He couldn’t explain it, but something washed over him, like a massive electric shock that made him aware of just how…familiar this seemed. It was similar to the feeling he had earlier.</p><p>He felt safe, understood.</p><p>And then that feeling was gone.</p><p>Suddenly, JJ found himself being thrown around in circles, something holding a tight grip on his ankle. But soon enough, that let go too and JJ was soon flying through the air, too out of it to even react fast enough to web onto something or soften his eventual crash.</p><p>JJ felt the air be completely knocked out of him, his body bouncing off the concrete a couple of times before he rolled over. It took him a few attempts to finally open his eyes, take in his surroundings, to see he was in some dingy alleyway. He turned his head to the side, briefly seeing a black blob in the distance. He could hear some muffled yelling.</p><p>“HEED THIS AS A WARNING, SPIDER-MAN. NEXT TIME WE MEET, IT WILL BE OUR LAST!”</p><p>JJ vaguely furrowed his eyebrows together before turning his head to stare at the blue sky above instead. When the ringing and the muffling was over, he could hear the screams of his friends coming through the earpiece.</p><p>
  <em>“JJ! JJ, PLEASE FUCKING ANSWER, DUDE!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em> “JJ, ARE YOU DEAD?!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“WHY WOULD HE FUCKING ANSWER IF HE WAS DEAD!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“SHUT UP, I’M FLUSTERED!” </em>
</p><p>JJ frowned a little, his whole throat felt dry and numb. There was also a metallic taste in his mouth that told him he must’ve bitten his tongue at some point. God, he hated the taste of blood. “It…It felt…”</p><p>
  <em>“OH MY GOD, JJ!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“IT FELT LIKE WHAT BUD? YOU GOOD?” </em>
</p><p>“It felt just like me.” He finally got out.</p><p>Then everything went black.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Facing Clifford the Big Red Dog's evil cousins from hell is a blast!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After being publicly defeated by a new unknown enemy, JJ decides to keep Spider-Man on a low profile. Yet, he somehow finds himself right in the hands of the girl who hates his guts. Confusion grows and questions are left unanswered as the boys come up with a master plan to find out what the hell is going on with JJ’s body and just how they can help him defeat his new nemesis.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so yeaaaah it’s a long chapter and I wasn’t quite where to split it but oh well!😂hope you enjoy, there’s definitely more jiara moments in this chapter :) but yeah enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>JJ had learnt two things in the past week.</p><p>The first one being that he is one <em>lucky</em> bastard. He knew there was a lot to his new genetics and transformation that he didn’t understand, but he thought he at least had the gist of it. He knew his limitations, knew how far he could shoot a web and how fast he could run and how much he could lift (although they were wrong on that one since he can apparently lift a whole <em>fucking</em> car). But JJ thought he knew everything about himself. So, when he felt himself being thrown around like some sock puppet and his body bounce off the concrete floor, he was pretty damn sure that he was dead. He had to be, <em>no one</em> could survive <em>that</em>.</p><p>Turns out, he didn’t die.</p><p>Oh no, just to make this whole superhero thing a little crazier, JJ apparently had some sort of super healing because they next thing he remembered after getting his ass beat in front of the whole city was waking up in his room a whole day after the attack. He got off fairly well, mostly just bruises and <em>fairly</em> shallow wounds. It hurt like hell, but Pope said the healing was mostly done during his comatose state. But with all things considered, he was still pretty damn lucky he woke up—although he wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse to wake up to John B practically sobbing over how if JJ died, he wouldn’t be able to look at anything in the same light.</p><p>A tad dramatic for JJ but he appreciated the sentiment. That was until John B started talking about how he got dibs on JJ’s prized-possession baseball that was signed by <em>the</em> Tom Seaver. That was taking it a little <em>too</em> far.</p><p>JJ had woken up not long after and was filled in on his situation. Of course, it was in the form of a good old scolding from Pope. Mostly about how JJ was reckless, how he could’ve handled the situation better, how he could have died and that he was lucky that he just happened to have enhanced healing powers. But JJ could hear the concern in his voice, and the relief that he was finally awake.</p><p>However, the second thing JJ had learnt was that Pope was right, unfortunately. JJ got way too ahead of himself, let the three easy weeks of patrol get to his head and make him a <em>tad</em> too arrogant on the battlefield. JJ was an amateur in the world of superhero-ing and now that he had an enemy? It wasn’t a joke anymore, this wasn’t just some fun thing he could do because he liked it. It was his job now. He had to protect the city from this new threat, and to be completely honest, he had to protect his dignity since he barely has any after his public humiliation a week ago.</p><p>That about catches you up to the current situation. JJ, Pope and John B all sitting in the <em>Twinkie</em>—John B’s crappy VW van that the three cherished with their whole, entire hearts. They had many memories in this van, and they plan to make many more until it finally gives out on them. Which guessing by wild situations they put the poor thing through, it will probably be sooner rather than later.</p><p>JJ had woken up early today, he didn’t feel like interacting with his father anytime soon so decided to slip away before he woke up hungover on the living room couch to demand breakfast to be brought to him before inevitably passes out again. He got John B to pick him up and now the three of them sat in the school parking lot, using the privacy of the van to their advantage.</p><p>“I’m just saying, if we knew more about you then at least training will be—”</p><p>“We know most of my weird and wonderful mutations, Pope! I don’t need a damn science diary to tell me about my…organs and stuff!” JJ huffed from his seat on the floor, looking over at Pope who looked down at JJ with a concerned look.</p><p>“Dude, you got your ass beat. It sucks. I get it,” Pope sighed, glancing over at John B for some backup but he was too busy scrolling through his phone to even pay attention to the other two. “But how can we train you if we don’t actually <em>know </em>you?”</p><p>JJ groaned. Pope was right, again. The blond let out a sigh, leaning his head back against the door, his fingers tapping his knees in a rhythmic pattern. “What do you wanna do then? Walk up to Cameron Tower, knock on the door and ask them about their spiders over some coffee? Or better yet, let’s just go and tell them I’m Spider-Man!” He hissed.</p><p>“Or you just break in and steal the files.”</p><p>Both boys’ heads snapped to look over at John B.</p><p>“WHAT?!”</p><p>John B lazily looked up from his phone. “Just break into Cameron Tower. C’mon, you’re Spider-Man. It should be a piece of cake.”</p><p>JJ stared at his best friend for a few moments, wondering if it would be worth slapping him over the head in hopes he would gain some braincells. “Dude, are you fucking serious? It’s Cameron Industries! They have like thousands of security protocols set so people—even Spider-Man—can’t get within a five-mile radius without them knowing.” He deadpanned. He briefly heard Pope muttering to himself as he grabbed his laptop from his bag and furiously began typing, but JJ ignored him.</p><p>“Can’t you just like…scale the wall and get in through a window?” John B shrugged.</p><p>“Oh yeah, totally. Just scale the side of the most famous building in the city, sounds easy enough.”</p><p>“Geez, no need to be such a Debby-downer. It was just an idea.”</p><p>“A terrible idea.”</p><p>“Actually, it’s a pretty good idea.”</p><p>JJ whirled around to look at Pope, a look of both confusion and betrayal very clear on his face. The one time JJ was choosing the responsible option and Pope ends up disagreeing with him? Maybe he had woken up in a parallel universe, or maybe he was still in a coma and this was all a dream. Or maybe today was the day pigs could fly and Pope was actually agreeing with John B.</p><p>God, even in his head that sentence just sounded <em>wrong</em>.</p><p>“Dude, what the hell?!”</p><p>“Look, hear me out and don’t worry, it felt just as weird agreeing with JB so let’s please move on,” Pope muttered, shivering a little for emphasis. He shook his head before turning his laptop so the other two could see the screen. “The blueprint for Cameron Tower is actually public information, and after some digging, I found a copy with all the security and protocol details. If we plan a route that avoids JJ getting caught, it would be easy to just slip in and slip out with what you need.”</p><p>JJ narrowed his eyes. “And by public information you mean you hacked the council documents, didn’t you?” He deadpanned.</p><p>“Not important.” Pope said with a pointed look. “The point is that JB’s plan actually might work.”</p><p>“This is ridiculous.” JJ muttered.</p><p>“Pipe down, Malfoy.” John B rolled his eyes. He then turned to Pope. “How quickly can you plan a safe route?”</p><p>“Well, I would need some time to look over the details and the timing and placement of the cameras, as well as—”</p><p>“Can you have it done by tonight?” John B interrupted with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“Uh yeah, probably.” Pope said with a shrug.</p><p>“Perfect.” He grinned before turning to JJ. “Get your ass ready, Spider-Man. You got a mission tonight. And hopefully this science diary thing will have the info we need to help you to properly hone your powers and destroy the Phantom.”</p><p>JJ’s eyebrows furrowed together. “The Phantom?”</p><p>“Yeah.” John B grinned proudly. “That’s what I named the smoke dude! Catchy, right?”</p><p>The blond looked at his friend with a slightly peeved look on his face. “I’m sorry, while I was getting my ass kicked and was practically lying on my death bed, you were naming that bastard?” He hissed.</p><p>John B gave him a sheepish smile. “Well—”</p><p>“He also sent it anonymously to local papers. It’s what everyone is calling him.” Pope stated bluntly, his attention primarily focused on his laptop screen.</p><p>“You fucking snake.”</p><p>“He was going to find out anyways, may as well get it over and done with.”</p><p>“I can’t believe I am saying this but,” JJ muttered as he grabbed his backpack which was casually laying on the floor next to him. “I am going to school or else I am going to end up punching one of you in the face.” And with that, he exited the car and made sure to slam the door behind him. Just in case they didn’t catch the hint that he was pissed.</p><p>“Bro, don’t dent the <em>Twinkie! </em>She’s sensitive!”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I’m just saying, this spider-freak is just some fraud who is clearly begging for attention.”</p><p>Kie couldn’t help but roll her eyes as Rafe and his friends all nodded in agreement. She had to admit, when she first joined, the prospect of being initiated into a friend group so quickly seemed like a blessing, especially since her mother apparently knew Rose Cameron—high school friends or something like that. So, when she first met the Cameron children who were around her age and attending the same school as her, she was stoked. The whole ‘new girl, fresh meat’ thing terrified her, so if she got to avoid it then she was alright with that. What she didn’t count on was that Rafe and his little posse were a bunch of privileged assholes that she really didn’t get along with.</p><p>Usually she would only have to deal with conversations like ‘oh daddy won’t buy me <em>another </em>yacht’ or ‘have you seen those shoes? how embarrassing’—boring but tolerable. Yet, their recent fixation has been New York City’s own hero, Spider-Man. Someone who was admired and loved by many, the kind of adoration you can’t buy—so of course, Rafe and his buds automatically hated him.</p><p>“You know who’s great? That Phantom dude, I mean he really showed the city how useless and incompetent that spider-boy is.” Rafe continued, a scoff leaving his lips as the others in the circle they currently stood in nodded with him. Did they ever stop nodding? Kiara could’ve sworn none of them can actually talk for themselves, only simply nod at whatever their little master Rafe said.</p><p>“Of course you support the evil guy.” Kie muttered to herself, looking down at her nails with an utterly bored expression. She had been listening to this conversation for the past thirty minutes and she was honestly done.</p><p>“Hm, what was that?” Rafe asked, looking down at her with a curious expression.</p><p>However, Kie just shrugged and gave him her best fake smile. “Oh nothing, just remembered some…shoes that I need to pick up after school.” She said casually.</p><p>“Oh, I can take you, if you want?” He said with a small smirk, eyebrows raised.</p><p>“No, that’s alright—”</p><p>“No, it’s chill, baby. I can take you.” Rafe said before wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. Kie tried not to roll her eyes.</p><p>“Thanks, Rafe.” She murmured. The truth was that no matter how much she disliked Rafe’s group and their pompous ways, she couldn’t just ditch them. First of all, she knew no one at this school or in this city other than them. There was also the fact that now she was associated with them, it would be considered ‘social suicide’ to just leave them and gain new friends or at least that is what everyone says to her. But the biggest reason was that her family were very close to the Cameron’s and she didn’t want to sabotage that friendship. So, if it meant sucking it up for a couple of hours in school and the odd dinner here and there, then so be it. Her family had worked their asses off to get where they were now, she wasn’t going to piss off one of the most influential families in the East Coast over some petty teenage drama.</p><p>Although she did wish that Rafe was a lot less…touchy. It freaked her out a little, along with the pet names.</p><p>“Hey, what did we miss?” A voice called out, causing Kie to look away from Rafe and now to the new comers of the wee circle they created beside some lockers.</p><p>“Nothing much, just talking about how that spider-bitch has been AWOL for weeks now. Probably too embarrassed to show his face.” Kelce spoke up, filling Topper and Sarah in with their latest—and what seems to be like their only—topic of conversation.</p><p>“God, what I would pay to have that bastard humiliated again.” Topper scoffed, a little breathless as he wrapped an arm securely around Sarah’s waist.</p><p>Kie glanced over at her, noticing the smudged lipstick and only smirked in response. Sarah just flipped her off. Both of them snickered as Kie glanced over at Rafe and the others, before she looked at Sarah with a look of desperation. Sarah winked in response.</p><p>“Alright, see you later, boys! Girl stuff duty calls!” Sarah said, ignoring her brother’s calls on where they were going as she grabbed Kie’s hands and began running down the hall, as far as way from the group as they could. Luckily, none of them bothered to follow.</p><p>“God, thank you! I thought I would be stuck there forever!” Kie laughed as they slowed down once they were far enough, a little breathless but smiling nonetheless.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I got you, boo.” Sarah grinned as she linked their arms together.</p><p>Kie returned the grin before she gestured towards Sarah. “You know, lipstick is meant to <em>stay </em>on your lips.” She teased.</p><p>“Oh, piss off!” She scoffed with a light shove.</p><p>You see, despite all the complaining Kie had just done about the Cameron children, she was actually lying. From the three children, she actually did get along with one and that was Miss Queen Bee herself, Sarah Cameron. Although with all due respect, she hadn’t interacted with Wheezie much. But Sarah and Rafe she had spent plenty of time with. Enough to know that she preferred the middle child way more.</p><p>Sarah Cameron was her first official girl friend that she had ever really had. It wasn’t that she repelled other girls or anything, she just seemed to have differing priorities to them growing up. But Sarah was different. She had this aura around her, one that was warm and welcoming and just made you want to bask in the overwhelming presence of that was Sarah Cameron. But the best thing was how absolutely chill she was. Kie liked that, she was glad that Sarah wasn’t one of those people that were in your face and shoving their lives into every conversation you had with them—a common occurrence she noticed with the other girls in Rafe’s posse. Kie couldn’t have been more grateful for Sarah and everything she has done to help her feel more comfortable with the move.</p><p>“So, you know how you love me and I am your favourite person ever?” Sarah eventually spoke up again, looking over at Kie with a slightly sheepish look on her face.</p><p>“Oh no, what have you done?” Kie whined slightly, looking at the blonde with a pout. “Dude, I haven’t had coffee yet. Can’t help you hide a body.”</p><p>“Ew, no!” Sarah snorted with her nose scrunched a little in disgust. “Actually, I was hoping that you wouldn’t be mad that I signed us both up for an internship thing at my dad’s labs.” She said with a hopeful grin.</p><p>“Sarah—”</p><p>“I know, I know! But my dad has been obsessing over one of his kids doing it and Rafe has the sports shit so I had no other choice.” She sighed. “Plus, if we do it together, it won’t be that bad! We can just mess about! No one will even tell us to do anything, they will be too scared to piss off their boss’s daughter.”</p><p>“I don’t know.” Kie muttered with a frown. The field trip to Cameron Industries was bad enough, she didn’t really want to have to spend more time there.</p><p>“Just think about it, please! You’d be a lifesaver!” Sarah begged as she gave Kie a quick, awkward side hug before she was rushing down the corridor. It was only then Kie realised she was right outside her first period class—chemistry.</p><p>She shook her head, deciding to worry about the whole internship fiasco thing later and instead just make her way through the morning. Much to her surprise when she walked into the class, a familiar blond was sitting in his seat after being MIA for the past week. As she approached the lab bench, she raised her eyebrows at him.</p><p>“Fancy seeing you here.” She commented as she took a seat, grabbing her notebook from her bag before letting it fall to the ground.</p><p>JJ turned to look at her with a slightly shocked look before he smirked at her. “Aw, missed me that much?”</p><p>She rolled her eyes. “Of course not, just sick of doing all the work myself.” She answered nonchalantly.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll keep your little crush on me a secret.” He retaliated with a wink because the both of them knew it would infuriate her a little more.</p><p>“I forgot how much of an ass you were.” She huffed out, giving him a pointed look. But JJ just grinned and shrugged at her.</p><p>“I thought Rafe would’ve done a good job of taking that position over while I was gone.”</p><p>“Oh, so now you are creeping on who I’m friends with?”</p><p>“Kinda hard to avoid it when he flaunts around like the pompous ass he is.”  </p><p>It took a lot within her to not smile a bit at that. Instead, she turned to the front as Mr Marino entered the class. “Welcome back, Maybank.”</p><p>“I’m sure enjoying the warm return, Carrera.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I don’t know whether this is impressive or scary.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I would like to think it’s ingenious.” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“Dude, small words. We’ve been over this. I don’t understand your weird Shakespeare language.” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“I really need to buy you a dictionary.” </em>
</p><p>JJ couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he listened to the two of them bicker over his earpiece. It felt a bit surreal for JJ, as he stood on the edge of some random building, looking over the city in a way he hadn’t done since the night of the attack last week. Admittedly, he missed it way more than he let on. There was something refreshing, satisfying about being able to put the suit on again. And thanks to Pope’s magic and a lot of time spent watching YouTube tutorials, he was able to fix the holes and damages to the suit. It looked as good as knew, you could barely tell that JJ had gotten his ass beat. Not that he liked to remember that himself.</p><p>But it didn’t matter, or at least that is what he tried to tell himself. He was just happy to be back, out in the suit. And now hopefully he would get answers tonight on just what his new body and powers entail. That is if everything goes according to plan, which considering the boys’ track record wasn’t very reassuring or likely to happen. But it wasn’t like they had any other option.</p><p>“GUYS!” He snapped, having enough of their bickering. “Back to the mission. We can’t fuck this up.”</p><p>
  <em>“Well, technically YOU can’t fuck this up. We are just sitting back and observing.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Right, you know what! Go sit in the corner.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Corner, now! And think about what you’ve done. Your lack of braincells are starting to distract me.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Whatever.” </em>
</p><p>JJ sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You guys are meant to be helpful, not fucking irritating.” He muttered, but of course the mic picked his voice up.</p><p>
  <em>“Yikes, someone is feeling grouchy.” </em>
</p><p>“I’m not grouchy! I’m about to risk my life and possibly my identity by sneaking into one of the most secure, armed buildings on the East Coast. You think I’m gonna be all sunshine and daisies?” JJ snapped, he really didn’t have a good feeling about this plan. It was an unexplainable feeling. Despite the fact a part of him was desperate to get out, swinging through the streets. There was also a part of him that was screaming to just head back to his place and do anything but <em>this</em>. Ironic, right?</p><p>
  <em>“Well not with that attitude.” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“JB, shut up. Look, JJ, you’ll be fine. Just follow the plan and it will be okay.” </em>
</p><p>JJ took a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment as he enjoyed the cold, chilly winter night. New York on a winter night was surely something everyone deserved to see from this point of view. It always knocked the breath out of him, let him just appreciate the city he had vowed to protect. And if he wanted to protect this city from The Phantom, then he knew he had to go through with this plan. Plus, despite it being John B’s idea, it was all Pope’s brains behind the operation. He had faith that anything Pope had come up with would go well, or better than any other plan him or John B could ever come up with.</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right.” He muttered and with that, he snapped his wrist out, watching the web shoot out before it attached into a lamppost below before he began to swing through the streets of New York. Usually, JJ would be whooping and cheering and greeting the people on the streets. Maybe he would’ve even posed and joked as they reached for their phones and cameras, ready to snap Spider-Man’s return. But JJ couldn’t allow himself to be distracted.</p><p>For once in his god damn life, he was actually focusing and trying to do something the right way.</p><p>JJ tried not to focus on all the gasps and flashes as he swung from building to building, lamppost to lamppost. He knew it was a big deal, first public outing since the big attack. Although, it did make him feel a little guilty that he couldn’t try and scavenge his relationship with the people, maybe even attempt to give a valid excuse as to why it’s taken him so long to come out of his hiding. He healed completely in a few days, the week was more to hype himself up that he wasn’t seen as a joke by the city, or at least by most of their standards. But they were running on a tight schedule—one Pope was reminding him through the earpiece that was planned to the exact second.</p><p>“Pope, I don’t need updates every thirty seconds. I get the point.” He gritted through his teeth, letting out short pants as he whizzed his way around a corner before promptly throwing himself against one of the buildings—although it sounded brash, he was a lot more graceful on his landing before he began scaling the side of the apartment block. Once he reached the roof, he crouched down on the edge and looked at the Cameron Tower that was a couple of blocks away.</p><p>“This feels like a stupid idea.” JJ muttered to his friends as his eyes narrowed in towards the tower. JJ wasn’t stupid, he was a Maybank—a family notoriously known for bad luck. He wasn’t being pessimistic, he just knew this plan had ought to go downhill at some point. He was just being prepared.</p><p>
  <em>“Calm down, bro. You got this. And remember, you wanna go up the East Wall to avoid the drone cameras.” </em>
</p><p>Oh yeah, just to make this all harder, Ward Cameron just <em>had</em> to have drones flying around his building for extra security. Two times every hour. Their orbits take twenty minutes. All of this information courtesy of Pope and his skill to somehow hack everything. It was quite scary actually.</p><p>“Here goes nothing.” JJ whispered to himself as he snapped his wrist out, watching the web attach to the edge of a building down the block from his current position. He gave Cameron Tower one more glance before he swung down, following the planned route that Pope had made. He assured it would be a full-proof way to get to the East Wall with little suspicion and contact with the security.</p><p>
  <em>“Everything is going to plan, this might actually work.” </em>
</p><p>“What do you mean <em>might</em>?” JJ hissed through his teeth.</p><p>
  <em>“JJ, not every plan has a hundred percent certainty—” </em>
</p><p>“Well, this one should!” JJ argued. “I’m already trying to save what is left of my dignity after last week, I doubt breaking into Cameron Industries and getting caught will do good for my reputation!”</p><p>
  <em>“Well…you’ve got a point but—” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“Hey guys, did we ever say what we would do about the public seeing JJ scale the side of the building? I mean, won’t people notice?” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“Shit…” </em>
</p><p>“Pope, you said you thought everything through!” JJ whined lightly, but he didn’t stop. Surely it would look more suspicious if he kept stopping, right? Maybe people wouldn’t pay attention to him if he acted like he was in a rush to get somewhere.</p><p>
  <em>“Okay well you didn’t think of it either!” </em>
</p><p>“Just…it’s too late, we can’t stop the plan now.” He huffed, not quite believing that he was the one that wanted to go ahead with it when he had so many doubts before. But if JJ was being honest, it was more just to comfort John B and Pope. If one of them acted like everything was going to well, then things would go to plan, right?</p><p>JJ felt like he was signing his death warrant.</p><p>
  <em>“You’ll be fine, just…stick to the plan.” </em>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Do you think it’s too late to order hotdogs?” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“JB! We are in the middle of something way important, dude!” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“So…you don’t want one.” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“I never said that…” </em>
</p><p>JJ rolled his eyes at his friends’ antics but there was a smile tugging on his lips by the time he reached Cameron Towers. He gave a quick glance around, noticing that there wasn’t many civilians around, and the ones that were there gave little care to what he was doing. Sometimes he was grateful for the ignorance of the general public.</p><p>Once the coast was clear, he didn’t waste any time climbing up the side of the building as fast as he could. He was fast generally, but from Pope’s calculations, he had to climb this one hundred and eight floors in three minutes.</p><p>Nothing could be easy in this life, could it?</p><p>
  <em>“You’re halfway, keep going!”</em>
</p><p>“Are you seriously eating right now?” He huffed out, his eyebrows furrowed together when the unmistakeable sound of chewing could be heard through his earpiece.</p><p>
  <em>“What? My mum brought us snacks, if I leave them then JB will just eat them all.” </em>
</p><p>JJ let out a small, breathless laugh before he focused back to his task at hand. However, just when he was three-quarters of the way up, he heard an unfamiliar buzzing noise. Against his better judgement, he paused to look around—only for his eyes to widen at the sight of the drone that was travelling up the East Side wall…and quickly.</p><p>“Fuck!” JJ swore before he was climbing the wall much faster than before. At this point, he had blocked out anything Pope and John B were saying through the earpieces. His focus was on the little lip of the roof ledge that was so close to him yet so far. The muscles in his arms and thighs were beginning to burn and he was pretty confident that he was sweating like a pig underneath his mask. His heartbeat was erratic and loud as it pounded through his ears, and it only got louder as the buzzing sound got closer.</p><p>“C’mon, JJ. You can do this, you fucking ass.” And apparently he wasn’t getting enough oxygen to his brain considering he has resorted to being his own not-so-helpful hype man.</p><p>But as the buzzing got closer and closer, JJ knew that he wasn’t going to make it in time. It was the Maybank luck, things were starting to go beyond the plan and now he was going to get caught. What would he even say once he’s caught? ‘<em>Oh sorry, don’t mine me. Just taking a small night-time swing around the city that includes scaling this very important building</em>’. God, he wouldn’t be allowed within a mile radius of the tower without looking suspicious or having all eyes on him.</p><p>So, in his dazed and panicked mind, JJ what he believed was the last resort. A stupid idea that would either work or hurt like a bitch for the next few weeks as he healed. But he was going to do it anyways.</p><p>And with that, JJ let go.</p><p>For a second, it felt quite freeing. His muscles instantly relaxing after the extravagant work they had been doing. The wind whipping around him and cooling him down, even through the fabric of the suit. And the noise seemed to dull out around him, even the buzzing of the drone and the voices of his friends through his earpiece. It was oddly peaceful.</p><p>But time got onto him and his free fall didn’t last long before he was whipping his wrist out and watching as a web connected to that ledge lip before he was yanking himself towards it with all his strength. He didn’t remember much after that, just his body flying through the chilly, winter air of New York before his body was slammed against cold stone. And it turns out JJ was wrong, his plan worked but it <em>still</em> hurt like a bitch.</p><p>He let out a groan, his thoughts disoriented as he shook his head a little, glancing around as he sat on the roof of Cameron Tower. But it was the familiar buzzing that made him realise that he wasn’t in the safe-zone yet. He quickly snapped his head around, looking for anything that can help him. In an act of desperation, he quickly hid behind one of the large chimney vents, his body pressed against it as he tried to limit any noise he made.</p><p>He heard the buzzing noise, much louder and consistent now. He heard it whoosh around the roof, probably looking for any disturbance. And when he heard it get closer to where he was hiding, he took a deep breath and waited. He waited for it to catch him and this whole plan to go downhill.</p><p>But it didn’t.</p><p>Instead, the buzzing of the drone only got more distant until he was barely able to hear it past all the traffic from down below. Only then was JJ able to breath, head tilted back against the vent as he tried to calm his heartbeat down. He was going to have grey hair before the age of twenty at this rate, with all the stress this bloody job was giving him.</p><p>
  <em>“That was…”</em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“TERRIFYING!” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“FUCKING AWESOME!” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“He could’ve died, or worse, he could’ve got caught! How is that fucking awesome?” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“You need to get your priorities straight, dude. He’s fine, right, JJ?” </em>
</p><p>“Next time John B comes up with a plan…we just ignore it.” He breathed out, half-heartedly listening to Pope’s murmurs of agreements and John B’s ‘<em>HEY!</em>’ as he slowly stood up from his spot. Yet, even with the drones long gone and nowhere to be seen, JJ couldn’t help but still feel on edge, something was still off.</p><p>He narrowed his eyes as he glanced around, taking slow and careful steps as he tried to find what was alarming him, setting the hair on the back of his neck up and causing an awful feeling in his gut. Something was wrong. And it was bugging him that he couldn’t work it out.</p><p>
  <em>“Alright, if you look over to the left, there should be a small hatch that can get you into the vents, it will be less suspicious than taking the stairs and getting caught—” </em>
</p><p>“Something isn’t right.” He interrupted, not even letting Pope finish his sentence.</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, you are looking on the wrong side of the roof, dude.” </em>
</p><p>“No, I mean that something is actually—” But before JJ could finish he felt his body flying forward and roughly making contact with the stone floor…again. A small ‘oomph’ left his lips as he laid face down on the ground before he quickly rolled over and stood up to face whatever knocked him over. And when he finally saw what it was, he couldn’t help but groan little. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”</p><p>JJ’s eyes narrowed at the creature in front of him. It was around the size of a large dog, maybe up to his waist. It growled and hissed at him, it’s eyes glowing a bright and alarming shade of purple. But that wasn’t what got to him. It was the fact this hellhound in front of him was made of smoke. A dark, misty smoke that was all too familiar to him. The same smoke that made up The Phantom. Maybank luck strikes again.</p><p>“So what, you wanna be a dog now? Was the whole massive octopus creature a bit boring for you? Decided to spice it up?” JJ called out, his shoulders tense and ready to jump into action the second the hellhound attacked. But it didn’t. It just stood there, crouched low and growling at JJ. Staring him down and in an offensive stance, yet it didn’t move—almost like it was waiting for an order to attack.</p><p>JJ let out a scoff, shaking his head before he began to glance around the roof. “Oh c’mon, you don’t want to fight me yourself? Decided I’m not good enough and sent one of your little dogs after me? This is a joke!” He called out, if there was one thing he was good at, it was getting under people’s skin. Maybe if he pissed The Phantom off enough, he would come out and face JJ himself.</p><p>
  <em>“Dude, stop fucking provoking him or you’re gonna end up actually dead this time—” </em>
</p><p>“I’m ready for you this time! Stop being a fucking coward and come out here!” But nonetheless, there was still no sight of The Phantom. Suddenly, JJ heard a loud growl from behind him. He quickly turned around, just to see that the one hellhound had now multiplied into five. Large, dark hellhounds made from the same material that left him numb and incompetent the last time he was in contact with it.</p><p>“Well, this isn’t good.” JJ muttered as he began to take a few steps back. But whilst he expected the hellhounds to stay where they were, it seemed like they had been given the order they wished for because soon enough they were all running towards JJ, ready to pounce on their prey.</p><p>However, before JJ had a chance to fully react, they were already running towards him at full speed. He quickly jumped to the side, hoping that would be enough time for him to get up and web his way out of there. Unfortunately, the hellhounds weren’t as dumb as he assumed and soon enough, he felt claws digging into leg.</p><p>A groan escaped his lips as he raised his other leg to kick the hellhound away, watching as it whimpered and stumbled back. Without a second thought, he snapped a web towards it and watched as the creature was glued onto the side of the vent he had hid behind only ten minutes prior. At least his webs worked with them and they weren’t just clouds like he had faced last time.</p><p>But before he could celebrate his short victory, he saw one more hellhound ready to pounce on him and quickly turned around so he was now lying on his back. The hellhound crouched down low before it jumped, mouth wide open as it’s razor sharp teeth gleamed in the limited light up on the roof. How this creature had teeth, JJ wasn’t sure. But they looked pretty damn solid and he definitely didn’t want to find out if they could actually bite him or not.</p><p>“You know, now would be a good time for you to help.” He called out through the earpiece as he held his hands out, managing to catch the hellhound and keep it at armlength away from him as it snapped at him.</p><p>
  <em>“Hate to break it to you but shadow dogs aren’t really my forte.” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“Maybe try playing fetch?” </em>
</p><p>
  
  <em>“I honestly wonder how many braincells you truly have.”</em>
</p><p>“Not helping!” JJ groaned as he pulled one hand back for just enough time to punch the beast in the face, thanking whatever god there was that he had super strength. Yet, he just so happened to forget the three other hellhounds that were ready for him. He took a quick glance at the other two hellhounds he defeated, only to see they were now up and ready to join their brethren in attacking him.</p><p>He needed to get out of there, and fast.</p><p>“Well, it was good fun working with you fellas but I forgot I’m more of a cat person.” He said with a mock salute before he was running towards the edge of the roof. He could hear the pattering footsteps behind him, could almost feel their breath on the back of his neck. But JJ didn’t look back, he just kept running and running and running until he reached the edge and then he jumped.</p><p>JJ was thankful for his reflexes because soon enough he was swinging through the streets of New York once more, his body acting on instinct before he could even think of a plan. He thought he was safe, that he managed to get away. However, an alarming sound of screams brought him out of his trance as he tried to place the direction of the screams only to realise they were coming from behind him.</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t mean to alarm you but you should probably start moving fast because those things are following you.” </em>
</p><p>“Of course they are.” JJ breathed out, not even pausing to look behind him as he continued swinging from building to building. He needed to get them away from the public, take them some place where he could deal with them without having too many civilian casualties.</p><p>“Pope, where is the closest empty space?” JJ asked, carefully listening to the growls and roars of the hellhounds to make sure they were following him and not wreaking havoc on the city.</p><p>
  <em>“There are a bunch of empty parking lots…uhh…there is a few parks but that could be a bad idea, anyone could just walk into the fight.” </em>
</p><p>“Where is the closest park?” JJ hissed out. He did appreciate everything Pope did for him and his superhero persona, but JJ just wished that he would get to the point sometimes.</p><p>
  <em>“Probably Cunningham Park but there might be—” </em>
</p><p>“Good enough for me.” And with that, JJ was swinging his way towards the park. It gave him open space, and he had no doubts he probably knew the area far better than these hellhounds. He just had to hope that he was enough to keep them preoccupied before The Phantom decided to send his wee hench-dogs out on the public.</p><p>Once the park was in sight, JJ took the risk of glancing behind him and almost cursed at just how close they were. And by how much bigger they had gotten. He could’ve sworn they weren’t this big on the rooftop.</p><p>“C’mon, follow Spider-Man, good boys…or girls…or whatever the fuck you are.” He called out to the beasts as he led them straight into the park, JJ deciding to swing and jump from tree to tree before he found a large enough space.</p><p>He was thankful when he noticed a general lack of civilians when he landed in the middle of an open plane. He winced a little, the sting from the scratch on his calf only growing stronger when he put a bit of weight on his foot. But he pushed the pain to the side, he had faced worse. He couldn’t let it distract him right now.</p><p>He turned to face the hellhounds, watching as the massive creatures started to surround him, circle him like he truly was their prey. JJ watched them carefully, looking for any weaknesses he could exploit or anything that would at least send them running back to their master and leaving him alone for the night. But these things looked invincible, an aura just as powerful as The Phantom’s from what JJ remembered in his hazy memories of that fight.</p><p>“Alright, you guys are just dogs…big dogs. I can fight big dogs.” He whispered to himself, attempting to redeem the confidence in his abilities that he lost about three blocks ago when one of the hellhounds almost nipped his ass.</p><p>
  <em>“Fetch is still an option.” </em>
</p><p>“JB, I love you and all but please just shut the fuck up.” JJ breathed out as he watched each of the hellhounds carefully. They continued to circle him, snapping their teeth at him and growling every time he even moved an inch. If he thought facing The Phantom last week was bad, this was just a whole lot worse.</p><p>
  <em>“JJ, you can’t take them. Get the hell out of there.” </em>
</p><p>“And what?” JJ snapped. “Let these things run through the city freely and make the midnight rush hour their dinner?”</p><p>
  <em>“They can still do that if you have been ripped to shreds. Get away from them, we don’t know enough—” </em>
</p><p>“Pope, I am not running away.” JJ quickly interrupted him. He knew his chances of winning this was low, and with his lack of training, he doubted it would be as easy as his usual patrols dealing with petty criminals and worried civilians. But if he could at least do some damage to scare them off for the night, then he would call it a win.</p><p>It was a little hard to see them clearly, their dark cloud bodies hard to distinguish within the dark—despite the city lights that illuminated most of the streets. But in this park, all he had to go with was the glowing pairs of eyes that continued to circle around him.</p><p>“Fuck me.” He muttered under his breath before in a quick movement he snapped his wrist to the left, allowing a web to shoot out and catch one of the hellhounds off guard. JJ watched the creature let out a whimper as it’s body slammed against a tree, the web holding it down like a heavy chain. But before he had a chance to celebrate, he heard the quick patter of the others charging at him.</p><p>JJ didn’t have enough time to move before he felt one hellhound swipe it’s paw, basically throwing him across the clearing like he was nothing. He groaned a little when his body hit the ground, but he didn’t waste any more time before he was quickly scrambling onto his feet and jumping out the way before the hellhound slammed down on him again. He glanced around, noticing a fallen down tree trunk lying a couple of feet away from him. Before the hellhounds could catch onto what he was doing, he quickly rushed over, ducking and rolling away from their attacks before he made it to the tree. He muttered a quick prayer under his breath before his hands gripped onto the trunk, his fingers digging into the wood as he began to lift it over his head. Small, huffed pants escaped his lips as he watched the hellhounds charging before him. The muscles in his arms strained as he watched them coming closer and closer, waiting for the right moment. And just when they were close enough, he threw the trunk forwards with all his strength.</p><p>He watched the tree trunk fly through the air before it smacked right into two of the charging hellhounds. Whimpers and whines of pain echoed through the empty park, the momentum having completely knocked them off their feet.</p><p>“YES!” JJ roared with a massive grin on his face, throwing his fists in the air in triumph.</p><p>
  <em>“JJ!” </em>
</p><p>“Fuck you, you stupid dogs!” He cheered, still a little breathless. He made a mental note to work on building up his strength. Fair enough he could lift a car or a tree trunk, but it wasn’t getting any easier.</p><p>
  <em>“JJ, FUCKING LOOK!” </em>
</p><p>His eyes snapped back down towards the clearing, only to see the two remaining hellhounds rushing towards him. “Oh shit.” And with that, he began bolting in the opposite direction.</p><p>He could hear the heavy footsteps behind him, quick thumps that were growing closer and closer to him. He glanced over his shoulders, a shiver running down his spine when he saw the two pairs of glaring eyes staring into his soul. Could they be any more obvious with how badly they wanted to rip him to shreds?</p><p>
  <em>“JJ, you gotta get out of there. You can’t outrun them.” </em>
</p><p>“Really loving the vote of confidence there, Pope—” But before he could even finish his sentence, he found himself flying through the air before his body slammed against a tree. “Fuck.” He swore, grabbing the back of his head in an attempt to numb the throbbing pain.</p><p>
  <em>“JJ—STOP—OUT—ASAP!” </em>
</p><p>JJ frowned, wincing a little at the static noise that was hissing in his ear so loud he could barely hear Pope or John B. He lightly slapped his left ear, hoping that would fix up the earpiece but it only seemed to make things worse. He shook his head, trying to ignore the noise as he looked around. And yet, there were no hellhounds in sight.</p><p>“What the hell…” He trailed off, unable to focus on his surroundings with how disoriented he felt after that hit to the tree. He was pretty sure he was concussed. Who would’ve thought trees could be so rough in the landing sense? And to make matters worse, the static noise wasn’t stopping and his boys’ voices sounded awfully distorted.</p><p>
  <em>“WATCH—BEHIND—BIG—QUICKLY!” </em>
</p><p>“JB, speak up!” He muttered harshly, his head felt like it had been spun around like a basketball before it was placed back on his neck. And he was convinced that he wasn’t meant to have four hands. He should’ve listened to Pope, he should’ve gotten out of here when he had the chance.</p><p>“You got this, Jay.” He muttered to himself as he stumbled forward a few steps, one of his arms stretched out and ready for a quick getaway. Except it felt as though his own brain was lagging on him. And those moments on unprepared hesitance were dangerous.</p><p>He heard the growl only seconds before he felt a sharp pain spread through the left side of his body. The intrusion felt like it was piercing through him, like pointy knives stabbing all down his torso. His body felt light, like for a second he didn’t have to worry about getting out of the park or the biology homework he had due on Monday or anything for that matter. The pain started to feel numb and JJ, for once since he started this whole superhero escapade, he felt…unburdened.</p><p>Then everything caught onto him. He wasn’t supposed to feel like this, and the intrusion in his body wasn’t welcomed and he wasn’t somewhere safe. He was in the middle of a battle.</p><p>He glanced down in time to see the jaw of the hellhound dislocate itself from around his torso. A groan of discomfort left his lips when he felt each of the teeth remove themselves from where they were embedded in his skin. He saw his suit darkening in colour, felt the world around him spin in the opposite direction of him. He saw a look of confusion on the hellhound’s face—maybe for the fact JJ was still standing despite what the deep bite marks on his torso might suggest.</p><p>And for the first time that night, JJ actually listened to Pope’s advice and used the moment of hesitance from his beastly enemies to escape, rather than end up as their next meal. He stumbled forward, his body seeming to work with him for once—almost like it was acting upon that survival instinct—before he found himself in the air once again.</p><p>But here’s the thing: swinging around town after you’ve probably lost <em>at least </em>a pint of blood, are possibly concussed and have no general idea where you are is probably the last situation you want to be in. He muttered Pope’s name, called out to John B. But the static noise had stopped and so had his contact with both boys. The world beneath him felt like a blur of lights, the noise muffled by the sound of his erratically beating heart that was starting to slow down and his eyes just wanted nothing more than to close. But he couldn’t. Not yet. He needed to get somewhere safe.</p><p>It was to fight your body’s instincts though. JJ tried and urged his eyes to stay open, urged his muscles to keep going despite the harsh burning sensation that spread through them. <em>Just a little longer</em>, he told himself. <em>Almost home</em>. The thought of home, being at his mother’s side and wrapped under his duvet made him close his eyes for a few seconds, to bask in that happy memory. But those few seconds were enough distraction for JJ to forget that he needed to shoot another web, for the one he was currently gripping to snap when he had gone too far, for JJ to find himself soaring through the air before he landed with a <em>thump</em> on some concrete.</p><p>He didn’t hide the roaring cry that had been threatening to escape the second he had put pressure onto his side. Once he had stopped rolling, JJ laid on the ground, eyes closed and limbs sprawled out as he bit his tongue, breathing and huffing through the pain. He wasn’t safe yet. He couldn’t lay there forever, and yet the idea felt so tempting.</p><p>However, his body tensed instantly when he heard a growl, JJ acting upon instinct and ignoring the growing pain as he quickly sat up. He began to shuffle backwards and his wide eyes inspected his surroundings, waiting for the hellhound to jump out and attack him.</p><p>But there was no hellhound. In fact, there was no ground. Upon inspection, JJ had realised that his tumble had led him onto some sort of terrace. A penthouse terrace.</p><p>He was in uptown Queens.</p><p>
  <em>Just when he thought this night couldn’t have gotten any worse.</em>
  
</p><p>Another growl echoed through the air, allowing JJ’s eyes to snap over the source of the sound. It wasn’t a hellhound, although for a second JJ swore it was and it had just shrunk down. Oh no, the growling was coming from a dog that was a couple of feet away from him. A very large, scary looking dog that was bearing it’s teeth and growling and looking as though it was ready to pounce on JJ to attack him. As if he needed to be bit again tonight.</p><p>“Nice doggy.” He muttered, frozen in his spot as he watched the dog carefully, one hand keeping him prompted up whilst the other lazily attempted to stop the bleeding on his side.</p><p>However, the dog glared at JJ before it began barking like crazy. “Hey, hey, no, no, no! Be quiet!” He hissed out, but unsurprisingly the dog didn’t listen to him. After this night, he was beginning to think he actually was a cat person.</p><p>“Lily, baby? You out here?” A voice called out.</p><p>“Shit, shit, shit.” JJ muttered as he tried to stumble onto his feet. He needed to get out of here as soon as he could. He wasn’t oblivious, he heard what the snobby rich kids at school said about him. He knew most of uptown Queens probably saw him as a joke. The last thing he needed was a ‘breaking and entering’ scandal against his name after his public defeat. Plus, he didn’t fancy having another dog attacking him tonight.</p><p>But the second he got up, the blood went rushing to his head and he couldn’t help but stumble slightly, grabbing onto something to prevent him from falling on his ass again. And that was plenty of time for the owner of the voice to find him on their terrace.</p><p>“Spider-Man?”</p><p>JJ kept his head down, giving the owner of the voice—which he noted sounded quite feminine and familiar—a small, half-hearted wave. “Uh, don’t mind me, ma’am! Just doing a routine check-up around the neighbourhood. Everything seems fine here, so I will just be on my way—” But he cut himself off with a small wince.</p><p>“Are you hurt?” The voice asked before he heard her gentle footsteps approach where he was standing. “Oh my god, you’re bleeding!”</p><p>“Yeah, I noticed.”</p><p>“Let me help.” The voice insisted.</p><p>“I’m okay, it’s barely a scratch—WOAH.” He murmured as he began to waver in his spot, feeling the woman’s hands on his shoulders in an instant before he could fall.</p><p>“Don’t be stupid, you need medical attention. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” And JJ couldn’t find it within himself to deny the help. He was tired and sore and he just wanted this night to be over.</p><p>Begrudgingly, JJ allowed the woman to gently manoeuvre his arm around her shoulder and lean his weight on her as she began to lead him inside. He briefly heard her mutter something to the dog, watching as it glared at him before trotting off somewhere. He had a small inkling that the dog didn’t like him very much. JJ barely paid attention to where she was taking him, which was stupid considering that this could be an elaborate trap. And yet, he doubted that would’ve been the worst part of this night if it was true.</p><p>“Stay here for a second.” She told him before she disappeared and left him leaning against a wall. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, hoping for some rest but his whole body felt stiff and rigid and wrecked. That, and the pungent smell of his own blood was kind of putting him off.</p><p>He found himself occupying his moments alone by looking around the room she had brought him into. It took him a total of five seconds to realise he was in her bedroom, and only twenty seconds later to realise that she was a teenage girl. The books lying on her desk, the tab left open on her laptop, the school bag scattered beside her desk with jotters sliding out. She was a high school student. Just like him. And he had willingly thrown himself into a very risky situation.</p><p>God, Pope was going to kill him.</p><p>His eyes snapped over to where the woman—Girl? Teenager?—had entered the room and watched as she placed some towels down on her bed before she gestured for him to sit down. But it was only when she turned around that he realised just how badly he had fucked up.</p><p>This wasn’t any teenage girl. It was Kiara Carrera. He was in Kiara’s bedroom.</p><p>“Kiara.” He breathed out and instantly watched as she tensed up. The first aid kit was abandoned on the bed as she looked at him with narrowed eyes, arms crossed over her chest.</p><p>“How do you know my name?” She asked suspiciously.</p><p>JJ froze. He cleared his throat, letting out a nervous laugh as he glanced around the room before gesturing to her desk. “Uh, it said your name on one of the books. I just kinda connected the dots.” He lied as smoothly as he could. It was nowhere near his best lie but it would have to do for now.</p><p>Her eyes wandered to the desk before she looked back at him, muttering a small ‘oh’ before she turned back to the bed as she began scavenging through the first aid kit for supplies. JJ took that as his invitation to limp over to her bed, wincing as he took a seat on the towels before he began to watch her carefully.</p><p>She turned to him, a sheepish look on her face. “I…you have to…umm…take your suit off so I can actually clean you up.” She said to him.</p><p>JJ stared at her from behind the mask, taking a few moments to comprehend what she was saying. “Oh…OH!” He muttered as he nodded his head, realising a small mishap in this. This was getting way too close. Pope was definitely going to kill him in the morning.</p><p>He pressed the small emblem in the centre of his chest, watching as the suit instantly fell off his body as though he was shedding a second skin. He tried to keep the wincing to a minimum as he shrugged the suit off until it was bunched up and resting at his hips. The mask remained though. He doubted Kiara would be able to tell it was him from his injured torso.</p><p>He looked up at her, seeing an expression of both shock and awe on her face. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the gruesome injury or the savvy technology behind the suit. Maybe if he hadn’t faced so much blood loss, JJ would’ve even cracked a joke about how she was ogling his body. And maybe she was. He did enjoy the perks the powers had brought with his physical appearance.</p><p>“Uh, there you go.” He muttered, his fingers tapping against his thighs in an attempt to distract himself from the awkward silence.</p><p>Kiara nodded, taking a couple of wipes from the first aid kit before she kneeled on the ground in front of JJ. “Lift your arm a little, you can put it on my shoulder.” She whispered softly and he complied, not missing the deep breath she took when his hand made contact with the exposed skin on her shoulder.</p><p>There was a comforting silence between them. JJ watching Kiara as a distraction from the pain he felt jolt down his side whenever she put a little too much pressure on his wound. Kiara solely focused on the task at hand as she tried to ignore his piercing gaze—or at least she assumed it was piercing. She didn’t know what was going on behind that mask.</p><p>“How come you’re nice to me?” JJ found himself whispering, not wanting to leave the silence just yet. He was happy to see that she felt the same.</p><p>“Why wouldn’t I help you?” She replied in a soft voice.</p><p>“Dunno, was pretty sure some people had a bounty on my head.” He said, his eyes never seeming to leave her face, like he wanted to catch every single one of her reactions.</p><p>“Well, New Yorkers seem to have a hard time appreciating any help.” She retorted, and he couldn’t help but smile a little behind his mask. “And it’s not like I could leave a superhero dying on my terrace. Heard blood is a difficult stain to remove once it’s dried up.”</p><p>“Oh, so she has jokes?” He quipped with a small huff that one could interpret as a laugh.</p><p>“Surprised, Spidey?”</p><p>“Hardly.”</p><p>She looked up at him, a smile—a genuine one, at that—on her lips before she turned her focus back onto his wound. JJ didn’t mind though, he found himself mesmerised by this version of Kiara. The Kiara he knew was snappy and impatient and ready to chomp his head off whenever she got the chance. This Kiara in front of him seemed nothing like that one. A voice in the back of his head couldn’t help but point out that maybe she was only acting this way because he was wearing the mask and suit, that this is how she would treat people she viewed on the same level as him. That as Spider-Man she viewed him as worthy and equal of her attention that JJ Maybank could never gain. But he also couldn’t help but feel as though that wasn’t her. The Kiara around JJ wasn’t her. The Kiara around Rafe and his buds weren’t her.</p><p>But instead maybe the one in front of him actually was.</p><p>“You shouldn’t listen to them.” She spoke up again. JJ probably would’ve missed her comment if he hadn’t been staring at her lips before she began to talk.</p><p>“Listen to who?”</p><p>“The people that are giving you a hard time about the other week.” She said to him. “They don’t understand.”</p><p>“And you do?”</p><p>“I know what it’s like to have people expect a lot of you,” She admitted to him. “And I know how shit it feels when you let them down.”</p><p>“Cause nothing says disappointment like getting your ass kicked in front of everyone.” He muttered, though she picked up on the bitter tone underlying his words.</p><p>“You can’t expect to win every fight you have.”</p><p>“Tell that to the city.” He scoffed.</p><p>She paused what she was doing, her hands moving down to rest on his legs. JJ’s eyes dropped down to them, noticing pretty quickly that if he moved his hand just an inch or so, they would be touching. But he quickly shook that thought out of his head and returned his focus to Kiara.</p><p>“You’re really beating yourself up about this, aren’t you?” Her voice was so soft and comforting, for a second JJ had tricked himself that he wasn’t wearing a mask, that she was actually talking to JJ Maybank and not Spider-Man. It was foolish of him, he knew that. But he had already fucked up so much tonight and he had all these thoughts in his head, he just couldn’t help himself. The next thing he knew, he was opening his mouth and he didn’t stop. And she listened. She genuinely listened.</p><p>“I-I was on a streak, you know? And it was just weird to go from being a nobody to a somebody and then for people to want…<em>anybody</em> but you. I mean, they act as though this was just one lost battle among many, but it wasn’t!” He huffed out, his chest heaving slightly as he ranted. “I’m just tired of it…not knowing what to do.”</p><p>“That’s your issue.”</p><p>He looked at her, utterly confused. “What?”</p><p>Kiara gave him a soft smile, realising how abrupt and rude she must’ve sounded before. “No, I just mean,” She spoke up, reaching for the roll of gauze in the first aid kit. She could feel herself begin to ramble, and she might as well do something useful during it. “You started this whole thing out of the goodness of your own heart. You didn’t expect to become some city icon. Who cares if your ass got kicked, it will properly happen again. But would you rather stick around and stop them, or just let them do what they want and push you around?”</p><p>“And if I don’t know how to stop them?”</p><p>“You’ll work it out.” She replied confidently.</p><p>“How do you know that?”</p><p>“Because you’re Spider-Man.” She said, and JJ was beginning to really enjoy the look of her smile. “Some of us mere civilians still have faith in you.” She added.</p><p>JJ looked at her, slightly in awe of her words. Or maybe at the fact that she so blindly trusted him despite his defeat. Sure, he had Pope and John B in his ear the past week, reassuring him that he did well and that people still appreciated him and that his ass still looked good in the suit despite the beating he received. But they were his friends, his guys in the chairs, of course they would lie to him to make him feel better. They were bias. But this was different. Kiara didn’t know him. She knew nothing about the man under the suit and she didn’t need to. She trusted Spider-Man, and she still did. It was an eye-opener to JJ, a perspective he never thought of before. Whilst he and many others waited for the opportunity to arise for his ass to be kicked again, there were people like Kiara who were waiting for him to get up and fight again. That is what superheroes do. He was so quick to label himself as one, he better start acting like one.</p><p>“Prepared to be severely disappointed with the rest of the world then.” He replied jokingly. But JJ will always be JJ, getting awkward and comedic the second things started getting a little too serious and suffocating for him.</p><p>“Then I will be the next person to kick your ass.” She retorted and though she didn’t know it, the grin on her face matched the one beneath his mask. She glanced down at his torso before her gaze returned to his masked face. “You’re all done.”</p><p>Yet, neither one seemed to move from their position. JJ staring at her intently, as though he wished to memorise every inch and crevice of her face from this close. How he was confused at just how easily he opened to her, though he blamed it on the exhaustion and blood loss. And yet Kiara stared at him with a look of pure curiosity and admiration. She desired to know what was beneath that mask, just like the rest of the city’s population. But there was a deeper side to her desires. She will admit she admired Spider-Man like any other teenager had, with the ogling of his arms and muscles and heroism. But it was different now. It was as though she realised there was a person underneath the mask, a person she desperately wanted to know.</p><p>“I should probably get going soon.” He whispered to her, feeling his stomach drop a little at the thought. He liked it here, with Kiara. He felt understood, unjudged. He felt like he hadn’t just fucked up one of the biggest missions of his life tonight and got absolutely battered by five hellhounds. Once again, he had to shake those thoughts out of his head. It was just the concussion talking.</p><p>“Yeah,” She murmured as though his words were just beginning to process. “Oh yes! Sorry, yeah, you should go rest.” She said quickly as she grabbed the last of her supplies and locked them away in the first aid kit.</p><p>They both stood up from their positions—JJ from the bed and Kiara from the floor—not enough time to react before they found themselves pressed against each other, body to body, chest to chest. JJ was only a few inches taller than her, a fact he wasn’t aware of until now. They aligned so perfectly, no awkward height differences or discomfort between them.</p><p>Or at least, it was like that for a few moments until Kiara’s eyes wandered down from his face to his chest, and then lower before a series of giggles escaped her lips. “Nice boxers, Spidey.”</p><p>JJ’s head snapped down to realise that he was so caught up in his little moment with Kiara that he forgot his suit was all baggy and loose and now resting at his ankles with his dino undies on show to her.</p><p>“Uh, I’m a huge fan. What can I say?” He shrugged as he scrambled as quickly as he could with the massive bandage on his side to pull the suit up, one tap on the emblem causing it to stick to his body once again. JJ was just glad the mask covered the bright blush that was warming his cheeks.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Spidey. I’ll keep your secret.” She assured him.</p><p>He gave her a small nod of gratitude before he glanced around her room, realising that her room had a small door leading off onto the terrace. He would rather get out before he lost anymore of his dignity. He began to walk backwards towards the doors, ignoring the feeling of defeat as he did so.</p><p>“I should say thank you for patching me up.”</p><p>“You should.”</p><p>“And yet, I don’t want to.”</p><p>“Well, that’s quite rude. Ever heard of manners, Spidey.”</p><p>“Because if I say thank you now, what excuse will I have to come see you again?”</p><p>Kiara looked down at the first aid kit when she felt her grin grow a little wider than before. “So what, I’m your personal nurse now?”</p><p>JJ shrugged. “I was leaning more towards the friendly neighbourhood superhero checkpoint,” He hummed. “But nurse could work too. Especially if you have one of those cute little outfits.”</p><p>Kiara rolled her eyes, but she won’t deny the little laugh escaped. “Goodnight.” She said pointedly.</p><p>JJ caught the hint, grinning beneath his mask as he slipped out onto the terrace. “I’ll see you soon, Kiara.” And with that, he was gone.</p><p>But Kiara’s eyes didn’t leave the spot where he was standing and she couldn’t help but feel her cheeks begin to hurt a little from how much she had smiled that night.</p><p>“See you soon, Spidey.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It alarmed Pope more than ever that JJ was excited to go to school. He was concerned the boy had hit his head too hard this time. This was it, the end of the world.</p><p>JJ Maybank wanted to go to school willingly.</p><p>Well, it was nice knowing you, folks!</p><p>“Maybe he hit his head harder than we thought.” John B muttered to his friend as they watched JJ happily walk ahead of them.</p><p>“Hard enough to cause a whole personality change?” Pope deadpanned.</p><p>“So…like really, really hard?”</p><p>“I can hear you both.” JJ called out, glancing over at the two of them as they stopped at the bottom of the stairs that led to the entrance of the school.</p><p>Yet the boys only stared at JJ with matching looks of confusion and concern. They lost contact with JJ somewhere amongst his battle with the hellhounds, including the tracking device that was in his suit. They spent the whole night worrying what the fuck had happened to him. Pope saw his vitals before they lost contact, they weren’t looking good. Pope was half-tempted to get John B to pick him up so they could scour the city in hopes of finding JJ. But they didn’t. Instead, they suffered the night in silence with no word from the blond.</p><p>Then, they head over to his house to find him all chirpy and upbeat, and if it weren’t for the split lip and bruises scattering the skin they could see, Pope and John B were almost convinced they had imagined the night before.</p><p>“Are you <em>sure</em> you’re okay? Dude, you took quite the beating. It’s alright to rest for a day or two.” John B muttered, keeping his voice low the people passing by wouldn’t pick up on the conversation.</p><p>“I’m fine.” JJ huffed out, thumbs hooked on the straps of his backpack. “I can’t just take a week off every time I get my ass kicked.”</p><p>“But this wasn’t just as ass-kicking, JJ!” Pope hissed. “You almost died…again!”</p><p>“Yeah, well I didn’t!” JJ retorted.</p><p>“God, the concussion and blood loss has clearly gotten to you far worse than we expected.”</p><p>JJ rolled his eyes. “I also heal faster than any other human on this world.”</p><p>John B narrowed his eyes slightly, and before JJ even had the chance to stop him, he stepped forward and poked his left side. JJ winced and slapped John B’s hand away, a small pout on his lips as he felt the sting slowly fade away.</p><p>“Oh yeah, you are in great condition.” He scoffed.</p><p>“Okay so,” JJ murmured. “Maybe I’m not as…able as I usually am. But I’m okay, you can stop coddling me. Alright? Last night is just proof that this whole ‘kicking my ass until I’m saluting the grim reaper’ thing is gonna be a regular occurrence. It’s better if I get used to it now.”</p><p>“I still think you should rest a little, at least until we find a new plan to get those scientific journals from Cameron Industries.” Pope frowned.</p><p>“Well, until then, I’ll be going on about my merry little life and acting like any other teenager in the city.” JJ said with a shrug.</p><p>John B stared at JJ, not saying anything, almost like he was analysing him. It was a bit discomforting, JJ didn’t think he had ever seen John B look so focused except for that one time he made a whole presentation on how Sarah Cameron’s hair was <em>most definitely </em>honey blonde and <em>not</em> sunflower blonde.</p><p>That was a very odd day and one JJ will never get back.</p><p>“What really happened last night? You know, after we lost contact?” John B asked quietly.</p><p>JJ looked at him, thoughts running through his head as he contemplated what to say. He thought about his memories of last night, how he barely escaped the hellhounds, how he landed right into Kiara’s hands where she patched him up, where he opened up to her about things he hadn’t even spoken to John B and Pope about. He thought about how pissed they would be, calling him reckless for spending so long with her and putting his identity at risk, putting her at risk when those hellhounds could’ve very well still been chasing him. So many thoughts running through his head.</p><p>“I told you before.” He answered with a shrug. “I swung out of there when I got the chance and headed home, patched myself up and passed out before I could even remember to call you guys.”</p><p>He could still see the small glimpse of doubt in their eyes.</p><p>“Look, I’m sorry I worried you but I swear I’m okay, alright?” He said with a smile. “I would tell you guys if something happened, trust me.” He said with a small scoff, though the words burned in his throat. He didn’t like lying to them but it was for the best. He didn’t want to stress them out with the mess that was last night’s mission.</p><p>“Yeah,” Pope hummed with a nod. “Yeah, you’re right. We just…we care about you, Jay.”</p><p>“I know.” He smiled before the sound of the bell ringing broke the conversation. “I’ll see you guys at lunch.”</p><p>“Take it easy!” John B called out as he began to take the stairs, two at a time, pushing down that guilty feeling that was growing in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t look back at his friends, and instead focused on making his way to class with limited collisions with the other students. The last thing he needed was to bleed through his bandages before ten in the morning.</p><p>Yet, the bounce in his step seemed to return as he grew closer to the chemistry classroom, that cheeky smile tugging on his lips as his eyes instantly sought one person. And that sickening feeling disappeared to the back of his mind when he saw Kiara sitting at their shared bench.</p><p>He muttered small apologies to people as he pushed past them, keeping his left side protected before he dropped to his seat next to Kiara. “Good morning, Kiara.”</p><p>“Whatever, Maybank.” She muttered in response, her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she focused her attention on her phone screen rather than him.</p><p>JJ frowned a little. “Geez, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?” Her words felt like a slap in the face, a realisation that everything that happened last night was between her and Spider-Man, not her and JJ. He should’ve expected the usual coldness that he receives as JJ. Nothing changed for her, at least not between the two of them.</p><p>Kiara rolled her eyes, she didn’t have the effort to deal with JJ that morning. Her mind was much more focused on other matters—more specifically web-shooting, wall-climbing hero matters. Kiara could barely sleep last night, her mind reeling on her little encounter with Spider-Man, his promise to visit again. And she woke up that morning after the little sleep she did get, eyes glued on the media outlets for any information from his fight the night before. The ‘what ifs’ had been picking at her brain. What if he got attacked or ambushed when he left her house? What if his wounds were worse that she thought and he didn’t make it some place safe? What if he didn’t make it home?</p><p>She just needed some reassurance that he was okay, but social media told her nothing. Just blurry photos and witness accounts about seeing Spider-Man fight massive dogs in a park, but nothing else. She hated how easily that hero had intruded on her thoughts.</p><p>“Don’t you have anyone else to annoy or am I just the lucky—oh my god, your face!” Kiara gaped when she noticed the split lip and bruises that littered his cheek and jaw. “You look shit.” She blurted out.</p><p>“Wow thanks, really know how to make a guy feel special.” He murmured, attempting to avoid her piercing gaze as he turned to the front. “It’s nothing really, you should see the other guy.” He added with a laugh, but she didn’t seem amused.</p><p>“So, what? You just…like getting your face pummelled in for fun?” She questioned sceptically.</p><p>“It was provoked.” He argued with a little huff.</p><p>“Uh huh, sure.” She said with a small nod.</p><p>JJ opened his mouth, not quite sure how he was going to defend himself without revealing his little night escapade, but somewhat luckily he didn’t have to. Mr Marino seemed to have saved his ass as Kiara’s attention was drawn to the teacher instead of his face. Oddly enough, one of the first times he didn’t want a girl’s focus on his face. This superhero thing really has flipped his life around.</p><p>But JJ couldn’t say it effected his school life much. Every class just as boring as it was before he became Spider-Man. Tedious and long and boring and sucking any happiness out of his life like a dementor. His eyes watching the clock at the front of the class in desperation he could make the hour go by faster. Spoiler alert: he couldn’t.</p><p>JJ didn’t even notice he had fallen asleep until he felt someone roughly jerking and shaking his arm. In an instant, he was wide awake and alert and looking for a threat. Instead, he was met with an instant shot of pain down his side from the abrupt movement and a slightly amused looking Kiara staring back at him. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to pick up on the wincing.</p><p>“What was that for?” He huffed out, rubbing his eyes to try and rub away the sleepy feeling.</p><p>“Class has ended, dumbass.” She said simply as she packed away the last of her stuff, throwing the bag over one of her shoulders.</p><p>“Oh. Right. Totally knew that.” He answered sluggishly as he blinked a few times before he began to shove everything into his backpack. He doesn’t even know why he bothers to take any of it out, to be honest.</p><p>“Here.” She said as she slid him a piece of paper across the desk. He looked at her oddly before he took the paper, looking at the writing on it.</p><p>“What’s this?”</p><p>“My number?”</p><p>“Your number?”</p><p>“Yes, my number.”</p><p>“Like your phone number?”</p><p>“Of course, what other number would I give you?”</p><p>JJ looked down at the piece of paper once again. Maybe he was still dreaming. Maybe this was the dream where the giant vegetables began to trash the school and take over the world. Or maybe he really had hit his head harder than he thought and now he was hallucinating it all.</p><p>“Yeah, you are gonna have to piece this together for me.” He sighed as he looked at her. It almost made her giggle how much he looked like a confused little puppy, especially with the messy, dishevelled hair he was sporting after his little nap.</p><p>“We are partners for a project. We have to work on it outside of class. I thought it would be easier if you actually had a way of contacting me.” She explained.</p><p>“Oh, the old ‘school project’ scheme. Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll play along with your ruse.” He said, flashing her a cheeky grin as she only rolled her eyes in response.</p><p>“You’re a pig, Maybank.”</p><p>“I have been called worse.”</p><p>“Just…don’t be disappearing for a week again. This project is important. I won’t let you bring my grade down.”</p><p>“I’ll be on my best behaviour, Carrera. Scout’s honour.” He swore, hand over his heart.</p><p>“You better, Maybank. Or I’ll kick your ass.” She warned him with a pointed look. He grinned a little at the phrase, although she sounded a lot more threatening this time around than when she has said the same words last night.</p><p>“You know, I wouldn’t be so opposed to that.”</p><p>“Bye, JJ.”</p><p>“I know you are smiling! I can feel the smile!”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You don’t remember <em>anything</em>?”</p><p>“Bro, I told you what I remembered! Unless you forgot, I kinda passed out afterwards!”</p><p>“There could’ve been something you missed though!”</p><p>“Dude, I wasn’t taking little mental polaroid’s the entire time, I was under duress, okay?!”</p><p>“Okay but if you tell us what you saw exactly, then maybe you’ll know what you look for next time!”</p><p>“How do we even know there is gonna be a next time, huh? He might just send his little lackeys after me again.”</p><p>“You don’t know that.”</p><p>“You don’t <em>don’t</em> know that.”</p><p>“You both do realise you are meant to be quiet in here, right?” John B spoke up, watching as Pope and JJ turned to look at him for the first time since they entered the library. He had been there earlier due to his free period, which was honestly a shock to the boys. They expected him to be ogling Sarah Cameron somewhere, yet he was actually here researching? The world really was ending.</p><p>“Whatever, Mr Wise Guy.” JJ muttered as he dropped into the seat across from John B, Pope taking the seat next to him. “Find anything?”</p><p>“Zilch. Surprisingly enough, not many people create radioactive spiders, let alone get bit by one.” John B commented as he shook his head. The hour had been spent looking at countless articles about Ward Cameron’s big new project and how it would be the next huge advancement in the evolution of modern science. But not one fact about the bloody things.</p><p>“Well, there goes our chances to ever find out the details on the freak I’ve become.” JJ muttered. “Boohoo…so, anyone up for burgers?”</p><p>Pope rolled his eyes, slapping JJ’s shoulder only to quickly apologise afterwards when the blond hissed a little on impact. “There must be some way for us to get our hands on those journals.” He sighed.</p><p>“Yeah, got a plan that doesn’t involve me being chased by Clifford the Big Red Dog’s cousins from hell?” JJ deadpanned.</p><p>“You know what—” But before Pope even had the chance to send JJ a snappy retort, John B was slamming his fist on the table.</p><p>“Guys, look!” He hissed urgently as he turned his laptop around so the other two could see it. It looked like it was a local news website—<em>the Daily Bugle</em>—was airing some conference live.</p><p>“Dude, why should we—”</p><p>“Just listen!” John B snapped before turning the volume up a little, just enough so they could hear and not get caught by the nasty librarian. On the screen was Ward Cameron, standing at a podium outside Cameron Tower. He looked pompous as ever, all dressed up with his dazzling smile as he waved at the crowd of reporters surrounding him, all eager to hear what he had to say. JJ was about to speak up again, say they had more worrying matters than some announcement from the man that was <em>indirectly</em> the cause of his recent transformation. But his name—his hero persona’s name—coming from Ward Cameron had caught his attention.</p><p>
  <em>“As you all know, Halloween is an exciting time for Cameron Industries. Truly a holiday that I look forward to every year, and not just because of the candy and opportunity to come into work dressed up and not look like a weirdo. No, Halloween is a great and generous time at Cameron Industries and I am proud to announce that we are holding our annual charity gala this year once again to raise money for the local youth centres and food banks of New York. But this year is a little different. I would like to extend my invitation to one more person. Spider-Man. You listening, Spider-Man? I hope you are. It would be a great honour if New York’s own hero could attend my humble little gala. After all, we have you to thank for keeping our streets safe over the past few weeks, it seems only fair to repay the city’s debt with a night off. I do hope to see you there, the whole city are.” </em>
</p><p>JJ couldn’t help but scoff as John B turned lowered the volume, watching as Ward Cameron continued to answer questions about his annual Halloween charity gala and laugh with these reporters as though they were life long friends. He wasn’t even funny. Boy did JJ despise these rich folks.</p><p>“As if I’m going to prance around those uptown snobs for a <em>whole</em> night.” He said with a snort. “I would rather stick a fork in my eye.”</p><p>“Maybe you should consider it.” John B spoke up, only to be met with a look of utter discombobulation from the blond.</p><p>“What the fuck are you on? Me plus suits plus pretentious assholes aren’t a good combination. Hard pass.” JJ huffed out.</p><p>“It pains me to say this again but…John B is right.” Pope said through clenched teeth.</p><p>“He is?!”</p><p>“I am?!”</p><p>“Look,” Pope said, turning to look at JJ, who looked a mix between betrayed and shocked. The last time Pope agreed to a plan suggested by John B, things hadn’t exactly gone swell. “This is the chance we have been looking for! Ward Cameron holds all his galas in his mansion penthouse. He is bound to have the scientific journals and notes on the radioactive spiders on his personal laptop. What better chance to snatch them than when he’s graciously invited you into his humble abode?”</p><p>“It’s a blessing in disguise, dude. You don’t even have to scale any walls in this plan! Just show up in a suit and hope to god that his password is something easy.” John B piped up.</p><p>“I can even make you a flash drive to help you hack into his laptop! Just plug it in and let the files download. Just as easy as that!”</p><p>“We might not get a chance like this again, Jay…”</p><p>JJ glanced between Pope and John B, contemplating it all. They had a point. They wanted a plan and the universe decided to hand them one on a silver platter. On one hand, it felt way too easy, too perfect. But on the other hand, easy was just what JJ needed after the last few weeks he’s had. He deserved easy, even if it meant having to deal with the sacrifice of some small chat with uptown twats for the night.</p><p>He looked at the hopeful expressions on their faces, the mischievous glint in their eyes that were just ready to scheme another plan. And in return, JJ couldn’t help but smirk back at them.</p><p>“Well boys, looks like Spidey is crashing a gala.”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>